Jewel of Circumstance
by Mujamo
Summary: IY & YYH crossover. On assignment from Koenma, Yusuke & Co. end up in Feudal Japan. Group A meets Group B and joins forces. AU set after the end of YYH and roughly after Naraku’s disappearance.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is an idea that has been rolling around in my brain for a good while now. I am, of course, a huge fan of both series, and since both deal quite a bit with youkai, demon behavior, etc., I began to see, at least in my mind, a parallel between them. As it has been said before, fanfiction is a wonderful answer to that 'what if' question, and the question in my mind was, "What if the boys from Yu Yu Hakusho met the group from Inuyasha?" Farfetched? Probably. But I think I could have a lot of fun with this concept. So without further ado, I give you 'Jewel of Circumstance'.

  
Jewel of Circumstance – a YYH/IY Crossover 

Chapter 1 - The Assignment 

            The Tokyo city square was as busy as ever; people with briefcases running to their next appointment.  Friends meeting each other for lunch, or to have a chat before heading back to work.  In other words, it was business as usual, nothing much different than the day before.  Perhaps it was because of this that Koenma, the near-ruler of the underworld, the 'Spirit-world' as some liked to call it, had no qualms about sitting on a bench, wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a blue t-shirt.  Of course, he looked like any normal human being, even if the purple bandana over the 'Jr' mark on his forehead clashed with his blue shirt.  But if one were to pay more attention to him, they might wonder about the strange way he seemed to be sitting so perfectly still as if his chest did not rise and fall with every breath, or the way he seemed to radiate a peculiar aura unlike anything else.  Those who met his golden stare would suddenly find unexplained shivers tingling up and down their spine, and would quickly walk on.

            Not that he minded being left alone.  It was simply best to blend in, anyhow.  He loved mingling with humans, and always had.  It was something he couldn't quite explain, either, and hadn't exactly tried.  Even the spirit world couldn't explain everything, and he didn't see the need to.  It was just something he enjoyed.  He enjoyed being around them, watching them go about their daily routines, occasionally stopping to toss a coin in the fountain behind where he sat.  He even enjoyed being in this form more and more rather than his baby form.  In truth, his adult form had once been his normal look…but that had been then.  This was now.  

            He was waiting on Yusuke to arrive, having had Botan give him the notice several days before that Koenma wanted to speak with him.  It had been almost a year since Yusuke's return from the demon world.  The young former detective had been on Koenma's mind for as many days, as Koenma decided what he wanted to do.  He would, of course, give Yusuke back his job, but Yusuke didn't know that.  It was what he needed to discuss with him, to make sure that he was still up for the task.  Koenma already had a task in mind for him, as well, and needed to be more than 100% sure that Yusuke's demon side would have no affect on how he did his job.

            Something inside of Koenma told him that it was a bad idea to let Yusuke continue working for the Reikai.  And yet, there was also the smaller, subtler voice inside of him that insisted that Yusuke was not evil and never could be, despite his demon side.  Perhaps the arrogant young man had been quite the wise guy at the beginning, but that was the beginning.  That had been years ago, and Yusuke had come a long way since then.  A **long** way.  Koenma didn't exactly want to recall all of the events…and was sure that Yusuke didn't want to recall them, either.

            But at the same time, Koenma couldn't ignore the time when Yusuke lost control of his demon side, and knew that there would be a time when that demon side would want desperately to come out.  Koenma had already spoken to Hiei and Kurama about this particular assignment, and enlisted them to help, but he knew that not even they could control Yusuke should his demon side emerge.  Still, they were needed, and at least Kurama, if not Hiei, would be more than willing to do what he could.

            But it was decided.  Yusuke would get his job as Spirit-world detective back, and Koenma would once again gain more stress than he ever thought possible.

            At that moment, the cause of his headaches came strolling into the square, also sipping on a cup of coffee and looking as calm as ever even though Koenma could also see a small hint of nervousness in his chocolate-brown eyes.  Koenma forced back a grin and allowed Yusuke to sit next to him before he spoke.

            "Good to see you, Urameshi," Koenma said, using Yusuke's last name instead of the familiar first.  "Been a year, has it?"

            "Cut the conversation bit, Koenma, why did you want to see me?"  Yusuke had never been one for conversation, especially not when it came to Koenma and spirit world issues.

            Koenma chuckled.  "Tsk tsk, always one to get straight to the point.  I should have remembered that.  Well, since you're so eager to know, it's about your position as a spirit world detective."

            "I figured as such.  I've been wondering when you were going to give me my job back."

            "I didn't say I was."

            The look on Yusuke's face erased any fears Koenma might have had as to whether he wanted his job back or not.  However, he quickly held up his hand and said, "Let me finish.  I have to discuss some things with you first."

            "Like?"  Yusuke's voice was strained.  

            "Such as the little rule that has stayed in place for the spirit world for the last four hundred years.  The rule that says we can't hire demons or those with demon blood to hunt down their own kind.  Too many complications."

            "But, you know I-"

            "I know, I know," Koenma interrupted, giving Yusuke a stern look.  "I know that you controlled your demon side at the Demon World Tournament, and believe me, I know that it is a tremendous accomplishment.  However…there's nothing that proves that you can control it again.  There will come a time when your demon side will want out, and it will fight hard to get out.  How do you know that you will be able to control it then?"

            Yusuke didn't answer, merely staring at Koenma with a look of hopelessness.  It was clear that he wanted desperately for Koenma to hire him again, also desperately wanting to prove himself.  Koenma sighed inwardly.

            "However, you are the only spirit world detective we have available at this point.  Kurama and Hiei are indebted to us whether they would like to believe otherwise or not.  The punishment we gave them for stealing the artifacts of darkness was the most lenient punishment we have ever given anyone in their position.  Therefore, they will always be indebted to us.  That does not make them spirit world detectives.  I am telling you this because…I would like to give you your job back, yes.  On one condition…"

            The light in Yusuke's eyes brightened and then faded with the last three words.  "What condition?"

            "That you be the one to train the next recruit."

            Yusuke snorted.  "Is that all?  That's **easy**."

            "Easier than you might think," Koenma said, a twinkle in his eyes.

            Yusuke ignored it.  "So, I have my job back?"

            Koenma nodded.  "Indeed.  You can start back tomorrow.  I need you to investigate something for me."

            "Why not today?"

            "Calm down, Yusuke.  I've enlisted Kurama and Hiei's help with this, and they will meet you tomorrow at the station."  He handed Yusuke a white piece of paper with an address written on it.  "This is where I want you to go.  There is an ancient shrine there, built to honor a battle long ago against a particularly powerful and vicious youkai.  There has been a strange, unknown energy around this area, and I need you to investigate it."

            Yusuke stared at the piece of paper and nodded.  "Is there anything else I should know before I go?  Should I contact you if things get ugly?"

            "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be able to handle it," Koenma said.  "Good luck."

            With that, he promptly turned to walk away, leaving Yusuke to stare after him with a bewildered expression on his face.  He was hoping inside his heart of hearts that he was doing the right thing.  How would he be able to face himself in the mirror if he was wrong?  Perhaps he should have told Yusuke the story…the story behind the shrine.  The story that had been haunting him for centuries.  

            He couldn't do it.  He couldn't tell Yusuke yet…no…he could only let Yusuke find out for himself.  Hoping, inside his heart of hearts, that Yusuke, also, would do the right thing.

            ***

            Yusuke, on the other hand, was elated.  He immediately went to Genkai's to tell her, and of course where Yukina was, Kuwabara was also.  Genkai smiled at the news, and nodded her head in her quiet way of approval, saying nothing.   

            Kuwabara was never one to be quiet.  "Urameshi!!!  I can't believe you'd still want to go back to that.  After all the times you've almost been killed because of these 'assignments', you'd want to do it all over again!!  And what about the time you **were** killed?  We haven't forgotten that one, you know.  Not to mention that **we** get dragged into these situations, too."

            Yusuke scoffed.  "Yeah, but I came back to life.  I came back, and I'm still here.  And what am I doing with my life?  High school is over for me, remember?  I'm done…through.  I can't take this day-in, day-out routine, you know that.  What else have I got?  Besides, no one is asking you to help me this time."

            Kuwabara sighed and shook his head.  "Keiko's not going to be happy about this, you know.  She just wants you to live a normal life."

            Yusuke's shoulders slumped.  "I know she does.  I'd like to be able to, but I just can't.  This past year has been driving me insane.  I thought everything would just go back to normal but it isn't.  I can't even hear myself think anymore, it's like everything is so noisy.  Noise, noise, noise, and all that goes away when I'm fighting.  When I'm not doing anything, I have noise, and turmoil."

            Genkai listened to all of this with silence, knowing all the while that Yusuke was gauging her reaction out of the corner of his eye.  They'd been through all of this before…Genkai telling him to fight, and fight hard, but to also learn to live.  Him replying that he lived when he was fighting, and felt dead the rest of the time.  Genkai had said nothing then, and Yusuke had always wondered why.

            Finally Genkai rose to her feet and opened the door, staring at the sunshine and the gardens outside her tiny house.  She was silent for a moment.  The others knew that she was about to say something, and remained silent, waiting.  

She sighed, and said in a low, wistful voice, "I remember my father telling me stories when I was a child…stories about old Japan, before this country was even named as such.  I remember those stories vividly, as though they happened before my very eyes.  In those days, my father said, this countryside was covered with youkai.  Most were low-level, easy to kill, but enough to be feared.  I wanted to know why there weren't any youkai anymore, and my father told me that there were, but that they were hiding.  They were the ones who escaped.  Escaped from what, I wanted to know.  The demon seal, my father said.  I had heard of the demon seal before, for my father knew much of its existence.  But I never really questioned why he knew…or how."

            Genkai smiled as a warm breeze brushed her face.  "My father came from a long line of demon hunters known as the Taijiya.  They were, at one time, the only resource for demon extermination.  In fact, that's what they were known as, rather than demon hunters.  My father naturally picked up the profession, not out of obligation, but because he had a passion for it, and above all else, he wanted to keep his family safe after his father was killed.  He was a great man…a wise man; strong, intelligent, and kind.  He had always encouraged my desire to learn the martial arts, but never did he encourage me to hunt demons.  'Smarter than we are at times,' he said.  I believed him then, and I believe him now.  Even though he'd been trained to hunt demons, my father was against it."

            "Why?" Yusuke asked.

            "He stopped hunting demons long before I was born," Genkai replied.  "Because after the incident that made him decide that, he was never the same."

            "What happened?"

            Genkai returned to a sitting position, and took another long sip of her tea before beginning her story.

"My father was hunting a particularly strong demon that had ravaged a small village not long before.  She was unlike anything he'd ever seen, he said.  A bewitching sight, which is not hard to believe.  My father was also quite the lecherous man, although he knew when and where it was not appropriate to let it get to his head.  But at any rate, this demon was strong, and he knew he had to be careful.  

            "She led him to an abandoned area, where she knew he'd be alone.  He thought she was going to attack him, and wished he'd brought more backup, but it was too late.  However, she did not attack, but instead appeared to him.  He told me that she did not appear threatening, and not in that she was quite beautiful, but because of the way she stood there, so unafraid of him but at the same time so flippant about the situation.  He was prepared for her to strike at any second, but was not prepared for when she took her enchanted sword and laid it on the ground in front of him."

            "What was the significance of that?" Kuwabara asked.  "If she was a demon, she could have used her own powers."

            Genkai smiled.  "Indeed.  But the laying of her sword upon the ground signified to my father that she was offering him a peace treaty.  True, she was powerful and most likely did not need her sword, but that was not important."

            "What did he do?" Yusuke asked.

            "He did not know what to do, but something touched him then, something that he could not explain.  He didn't know why a demon would offer a peace treaty…no demon before had ever done that.  All of them simply wanted to fight to prove their strength.  He thought perhaps she was going to trick him, but she did not.  He told her that he was hunting her for the destruction of a village, and that she needed to pay for her actions.  She said to him, 'The destruction of the village resulted in no lives lost.  I was merely wanting to retrieve a loaf of bread for a blind woman who cannot walk well, and lives alone, far from the village.  The people there knew I was a demon and confronted me.  I defended myself.  Tell me how that is wrong.

            "He asked if that was the truth, but inside my father knew it was.  He told me that he did not know how he knew, but he knew.  And so he let the demon girl go."

            "Is that why he stopped hunting demons?" Yusuke asked.

            "No.  That is not why," Genkai replied.  "He stopped hunting them because years later, that same demon girl saved his life.  During a demon raid, she intervened just as my father was about to be impaled.  She was impaled, instead."

            A chorus of gasps sounded through the room.  "Did she die?" Yukina asked.

            "No, she lived.  Demons are much harder to kill, as you know.  Eventually she and my father fell in love.  Wipe that look off of your face, Urameshi.  I am **not** their illegitimate love child.  They had no children, and later lost contact.  He never heard from her again."

            "How sad," Yukina said wistfully.

            Genkai smiled and shook her head.  "No, it wasn't sad.  Because of her, my father realized that some demons are not as bad as others.  But he didn't want to run the risk of mistaking a good one for a bad one, and vice versa.  He stopped hunting, too afraid of making the wrong choice.  If he had chosen to kill her that day, he would have died before meeting my mother.  Things like that make me stop and think about how the choices we make today affect the future.  We never know.  However, it does no good thinking about the consequences.  You can only act, and hope for the best results.  But it is always good to act…it is never good to do nothing."

            Yusuke nodded in agreement, and then thought a moment before asking, "So…what exactly are you saying?"

            Genkai sighed and shook her head.  "I'm saying that I am glad that you aren't doing nothing.  Working for Koenma again might not be the right decision, but it also might be the perfect decision.  You can only wait to find out, but it is good that you are doing something."

            Kuwabara slapped Yusuke on the back, hard, earning him the trademark Urameshi Glare ™.  "Well, Mr. Action, why don't we step outside and brush up your skills.  You've probably gotten pretty rusty this past year."

            "I'll show you rusty," Yusuke replied, gritting his teeth and rolling up his sleeves.

            Genkai rolled her eyes and muttered,  "Here we go again…"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: My apologies for taking so long in getting this second chapter out. It's longer and more long-winded (I tend to indulge in lots of dialogue) but the plot thickens. And I made myself write the rest of this at 1 am and I'm tired so I'm sorry if it seems to end abruptly. At any rate, I hope you enjoy. Please review! 

Chapter 2 – The Shrine 

The next morning, Yusuke got dressed and ate breakfast as quietly as possible so as not to wake his mother. She had done her best to not let him out of her sight in the last year ever since he returned, and he didn't want her to start on him now. He loved her, and knew that she had worried about him constantly while he'd been gone, but she was smothering him. Luckily he managed to escape the house before she woke up. He left her a note and told her he'd be back as soon as he could. Which he really didn't know how long that would be. Shouldn't be too long, he thought.

At any rate, he was glad to be back in action. He inwardly hoped that this case would be interesting, even though he'd gladly do anything at this point. He knew he'd started as a spirit world detective in order to track down troublesome demons, but it had escalated to so much more. In all honesty, he never gave much thought to the fact that he was part demon. Granted, that would change if someone started hunting **him**, which had happened before but in a different sort of way. He really didn't feel uneasy, though, hunting down other demons. If they caused trouble, they deserved to be hunted down. That was pretty simple in his opinion.

"Ah, who cares what anyone else says," he said to himself. "At least Koenma gave me my job back."

"It won't be like the other times," came a soft, deep voice from above him. Yusuke stopped and looked up, and was not at all surprised to see Hiei standing on the branch above him.

"Hey," Yusuke offered. "Following me to the station?"

"Hn. I will not be riding that human contraption. I will meet you at the shrine."

Yusuke snorted. "You'll probably beat us there. So what's this 'it won't be like the other times'? Quit being cryptic. And stop following me."

Hiei shrugged. "Call it a fair warning, if you want. You are excited to be working for the spirit world again, which I do not understand, though I suppose you have always been strange. But there is something you should know."

Yusuke gave him a look. "What's this all of a sudden? You never offered valuable information before without someone having to practically wring it out of you."

Hiei looked indignant. "I offer this information to you because it will affect all of us. You, me, everyone. They have not told you about the sacred jewel, have they?"

Yusuke frowned. "Sacred what?"

Hiei closed his eyes and nodded as though affirming to himself that he'd been correct. "The sacred jewel. Shikon jewel is its proper name…the Jewel of Four Souls. It is probably the most valuable and dangerous object in all of the three worlds."

Yusuke rubbed his temple. "Wait…what does that have to do with this assignment?"

Hiei jumped down to the ground, and stood in front of Yusuke. "The strange energy Koenma spoke of, which surrounds the shrine, may well be the Jewel of Four Souls. It has been lost for several centuries. If it were rediscovered, and fell into the wrong hands, it could mean the worlds' destruction."

Destruction? That didn't sound good.

Yusuke's mind was reeling. "Why did Koenma forget to tell me about this?"

"He did not forget. He wanted you to find out on your own…but I did not. He intended to risk testing your resistance to your demon powers. The jewel's power is greater than you could possibly imagine. It gives the weakest demon formidable strength, and sometimes invulnerability. It will draw you to it like a moth to the flame, and you will be burned."

"You mean because of my demon side…"

Hiei nodded.

Yusuke glared at him. "You and Kurama both happen to be demons, you know. Why should I be more susceptible to the jewel's power?"

Hiei shrugged. "I did not say you were. I merely wanted to warn you to stay on your guard and keep your head about you. Neither Kurama nor I wish to go on this assignment and risk giving into the temptation of the jewel. Even if I wanted to destroy the human race, which I must admit the thought has crossed my mind on some occasions, even I have to fear the jewel. But we have no choice."

"So what? Are you telling me that I should tell Koenma not to take this case? I can't do that. I can't say no. Besides, Koenma just wanted me to check out this strange energy and report back to him. If the jewel doesn't show up, then it's all good, right?"

Hiei shrugged again, clearly disagreeing. "That is not all that will happen. It never is."

Yusuke snorted. "Yeah, and why should I complain if something interesting comes up? I said I'd take this case and I plan to do whatever it takes to solve it."

Hiei regarded Yusuke for a moment. "Hn…you haven't changed."

"Neither have you. Well, I'd love to finish this chat but I've got to get to the station. See you at the shrine."

Hiei nodded and was gone without another word. 

Yusuke found Kurama waiting at the train station, sitting on a bench. Beside him sat Kuwabara, which didn't surprise Yusuke at all, but irked him nonetheless.

"I should have known you'd show up," he told his rival. "Can't miss out on the action can you?"

"Of course not," Kuwabara replied. "You get all the fun. This summer has been boring so far, I want something to do."

Yusuke glanced at Kurama, who merely smiled patiently. "Hey Kuwabara, what about Yukina? Won't she miss you?"

Kuwabara's face turned beet red. "Uh…well, she'll understand," he said in a strained voice. "She knows I'm fighting against evil…for the greater good…or whatever."

"Yeah, sure," Yusuke said, yawning. "Hey are those donuts I see for sale over there?"

At that moment, a cheery voice came out of nowhere and announced, "Never fear, your donut delivery girl is here!"

Yusuke knew who that was without even looking. He turned around to see Botan standing there, and her presence suddenly became much more welcome when he noticed the box of donuts in one hand and a steaming cup of coffee in the other.

"Botan, how nice to see you. Thanks for the donut," he said, opening the box and taking a nice, big, chocolate-covered one. "Coffee for me, too?"

"Silly boy, of course. I didn't think to bring more," she said apologetically, glancing at Kurama and Kuwabara.

Kurama waved his hand. "I don't care for coffee," he said. "Tea is my preference."

"I'd like a beer," Kuwabara said, half in hopes that Botan would give him one.

"Nonsense," she said, waggling her finger. "Shame on you for drinking on the job, Kuwabara."

Kuwabara sulked. "Hey, I was just kidding."

"Yeah right," Yusuke said with a mouthful of donut. "Hey Botan, why are you here?"

"To make sure everyone showed up and that you don't get lost. I know where the shrine is."

"We won't get lost, and Hiei will meet us there. He stopped me this morning to tell me something."

Kurama glanced at Yusuke. "Tell you about what?"

"The 'sacred jewel'." He stared at Botan pointedly. "Which Koenma neglected to tell me about. Hiei said that the jewel might have been found again. I didn't even know that it existed. Does no one bother to tell me anything anymore?"

"There are a lot of things that you don't know exist," Botan replied, her voice not as cheery as before. "Koenma was hoping that the jewel wouldn't be at the shrine…he doesn't want it to be found. It is very dangerous."

"If it were found and put in safe keeping, it could be purified," Kurama noted.

Yusuke glared at him. "So you knew about it, too?"

"Not necessarily," Botan said in reply to Kurama's statement. "The very nature of the jewel is the nature of mankind. Good versus evil. White versus black…in this battle, there is no gray. It is a battle that is far from being won. Oh, look, the train is here!"

Taking advantage of the opportunity to avoid the subject, Botan rushed inside the train car and sat down. The other three followed her. Yusuke wasn't going to let her off that easily; as the train started moving again, he asked, "Okay, Botan…question. Let's say the jewel **does** turn up. What did he intend to do about it then? Was he going to let me use something that would be disastrous for me to use? Seems to be poor judgment on Koenma's part."

Botan glared and pointed a finger at Yusuke, "Don't question Koenma's judgment. He has a lot on his mind lately, and the last thing he needs is to worry about someone finding the Shikon jewel. It's better if it remains lost. Forever."

Yusuke's eyes widened and he backed away. "Geez, touchy today, aren't we? Ok, fine, so we'll just worry about checking out this shrine and then reporting back to Koenma. Right?"

Botan attempted a smile. "Of course!"

After that, they fell silent. None of them had much to say after that little outburst from Botan, whose normally cheery disposition had still not fully returned. Her smile did not reach her eyes, and she looked worried. Yusuke wondered if she, too, were worried that he might find the jewel and go all hostile like Hiei indicated he would. What was everyone's deal? As if he needed all the extra anxiety from everyone else about it.

Even Kuwabara said nothing, sensing the tension in the air. He looked back and forth at everyone, wondering what the big deal was. The Great Urameshi, who hadn't been in school since before he left for the demon world, looked, for the most part, calm and collected. However, his eyebrows were furrowed together in concentration, and his jaw line was set stubbornly, as if he were inwardly arguing with himself. Kuwabara normally would be all too glad to pick a random fight with Yusuke, but had developed sense enough to know when to keep his mouth shut. It wasn't as fun, of course, but he'd survive.

Kuwabara's gaze then shifted to Kurama, who was as silent and stiff as ever. The serious expression was, of course, pasted on his face like a mask. Kurama very rarely let his inner worries and fears, or whatever else he was thinking about, show on the surface. But Kuwabara could see very plainly a strained sort of anticipation in Kurama's green eyes. And, Kurama was fidgeting with a stray lock of hair, something he also never did. He was nervous about something.

Again, Kuwabara had no idea what the deal was.

And finally, his attention focused on Botan, who looked as though she'd rather be anywhere but there. She was glancing at Yusuke out of the corner of her eye, which Yusuke, thankfully, didn't notice. She was also tapping her fingers on her knees impatiently, and biting her bottom lip. She looked more nervous than Kurama, who really didn't appear nervous unless one was looking closely.

Kuwabara was just glad to have something to do. Summers were boring, and while he looked forward to seeing the lovely Yukina every day, he had been itching for an adventure. Where Yusuke went, fights usually ensued, so he wasn't about to miss out on the fun. Besides, if Yusuke was working for Koenma again, Kuwabara wanted to be there. 

He still hadn't recovered from the last major case Yusuke had taken on. The Sensui case. The image of Yusuke being impaled with holy magic had never left Kuwabara's memory. Granted, Yusuke was still alive, but Kuwabara had vowed in that instant that he would be there to save Yusuke the next time. Perhaps that was taking things to the extreme, but he didn't care. He also would never admit it in a million years to anyone.

***

About a half an hour later, they all arrived at the shrine, including Hiei. Standing across the street, they saw the gates that read _"Higurashi Shrine"_ and below it a sign that read _"Tours Available"._

"Tours?" Yusuke wondered aloud.

"Yes, it used to be a very well-known shrine; it has been in the Higurashi family for centuries," Botan replied. "The first family built it to honor the battles between demon and man."

"Yeah, yeah, so Koenma told me the same thing," Yusuke said, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, so how are we going to get in there and look around for this energy source or whatever?"

Kurama smiled. "We could say that we're students working on a project, a study of local ancient shrines and their dedications."

Botan nodded. "That's a good idea! We'll take the tour!"

Yusuke groaned. "No, not the tour! I hated listening to boring lectures in class; why would I want to listen to one now?"

Hiei snorted. "Hn. I do not want to pretend to be a human."

Botan giggled. "Well, think of it as a new experience for both of you."

***

Being the head of the household was not easy. At least that's what Kagome's grandfather was thinking when he saw a group of teenagers standing outside the shrine entrance. They looked anxious and impatient, something else he had trouble dealing with. Being old and not as fast as everyone else wasn't easy, either…as he was still discovering while living with two young grandchildren.

Sota was a quiet boy, really. Content to play his video games and ride his bicycle after school. There was very little trouble with him, and he did very well in his classes. Bright, and reserved, something his older sister, Kagome, was not.

Oh the girl was exceptionally bright, but 'reserved' was not in her vocabulary. She wasn't wild, or anything like that, but she came and went so fast that Grandpa barely even had time to make up new excuses for her while she was gone. She got so angry with him, too; what did she want him to do, tell people the truth? Did she think him mad? If he told everyone that she was jumping into a well to travel back to Feudal Japan, fighting evil demons alongside her half-demon companion, everyone would certainly think him mad. Perhaps she wanted him to be locked away for good in an insane asylum. 

Kagome's mother, bless her, was content to sit back and view the goings-on with little to say. She simply smiled and did what she could. While he made excuses for Kagome and did random upkeep on the shrine, Kagome ran around with her friends in the past. Life was strange.

Not that it really mattered in the long run, he supposed, musing to himself as he went to greet his young visitors. He wondered if they were looking for Kagome, and began to work up a new excuse for his absent granddaughter.

"Ah, hello," he said to them. "What brings you here today? Are you looking for Kagome?"

They looked at each other, confused, and shrugged. 

"No," answered the pretty redhead, and Kagome's grandfather was amazed to hear a deep, masculine voice come from such a pretty face. He shrugged it off; children were stranger and stranger these days, anyway. He shook his head as he realized that the redhead was still talking.

"…wondering if we could take the tour of your shrine," he was saying. Grandpa's ears perked up at the mention of 'the tour' and a huge grin was plastered on his face.

"You want to take the tour, do you? Well, I don't hear that often anymore. Is this for some sort of school project?"

They all nodded, and the blue-haired girl replied, "Yes, we're interested in hearing about your shrine and its history."

At the word 'history', all was said and done. Grandpa's eyes widened and he ushered them all in, practically slamming the gate shut in their wake. Finally, someone who wanted to hear him talk! He could talk for days about his beloved shrine.

"Well, today is your lucky day," he said, practically beaming with joy. "I'm all too happy to help you out. I know all about this shrine's history. It has been in my family ever since it was built almost six hundred years ago."

Yusuke noticed Botan stiffen out of the corner of his eye. He briefly wondered why she was so uptight, and shrugged it off, trying to listen to the old man.

"I am the head of the Higurashi household," he was saying. "You may call me Mr. Higurashi, or Grandfather, if you wish. It is up to you."

Grandpa led them through the shrine, stopping at the huge tree in the center of the courtyard. "This…is the Goshinboku, or 'God-tree'," he said, gesturing towards the top where its branches stretched out, providing a shade from the sunlight. "It has been here, in this same spot, for over eight hundred years, long before the shrine was ever built. Legend says that in those times, a half-demon was pinned to this tree with an enchanted arrow. He stayed there, near death, for fifty years. Finally, he was awakened, and the enchantment was broken!"

"So, is that the significance of the tree?" Yusuke asked, genuinely interested. He, like the others with him, could sense a strange aura around this tree. Something that none of them could explain or even begin to understand.

"The significance of the tree," Grandpa continued. "is that it represents both captivity and freedom. It also represents love and hatred; you see, the priestess who imprisoned him was also in love with him. And years later, her reincarnation freed him. That is how the legend goes, and it says that the two of them were tricked into hating each other. It is representative of the negative and positive emotions of the soul, and how eventually, if you strive for it, good will come out of the bad."

Hiei snorted, but surprisingly said nothing. The old man led them on, and they followed. He talked for a while about little odd things, like the diversity of his ancestors; some were warriors, some were monks, some were merely common folk who tilled the earth and lived normal, simple lives. All throughout the centuries, the shrine had lived through disaster after disaster, and had been spared certain destruction. It had been kept from being sold during hard times and had endured fires, vandals, and the Second World War. 

"In fact," Grandpa said. "Its greatest survival was during the time of the age of civil wars. At that time, there were terrible battles being fought between those who wished to conquer the entire land, and those who wished to allow Japan to grow and develop as a nation, rather than being divided. It was a time of hardship. Dark times, darkness at work everywhere. In that time, it is said that demons roamed free, causing chaos and strife everywhere they went. My ancestors built this shrine to honor the battle they fought with a terrible, ferocious demon of tremendous power and cruelty."

"How did they win?" Yusuke asked, actually interested in this bit of history.

Grandpa rubbed the beard on his chin. "You know, I'm not sure. I know that at the heart of this matter, the Jewel of Four Souls resided. It was a terrible troublemaker in those times, that little jewel. Such a tiny object, and it caused such vast amounts of terror and destruction."

They were all ears now. "Tell us, where is the jewel now?" Botan asked.

He looked at her strangely. "It's lost, of course. No one knows where the jewel is today. Don't you agree that it's best if it remains hidden safely away?"

"What if someone found it?" Kuwabara asked. "Couldn't it do damage still today?"

"Yes, of course, but I doubt that someone is going to find it now," he said hastily, and deliberately looked at his watch. "Oh goodness, I've got to run. Feel free to look around, if you like. However, stay out of that shack over there, it's deteriorating. Don't want any of you to get hurt."

They looked at each other, then back and the old man, and nodded. "Sure thing," Yusuke said. 

With that, Grandpa practically ran back into the house, leaving the five of them standing there feeling a little put off. 

"He sure got out of here in a hurry when we wanted to know about the Shikon jewel," Botan said. "I think he's hiding something."

"He knows where it is," Hiei spoke up, matter-of-factly. "I could see it in his eyes."

"So what? We can't just barge in there and demand that he give it to us," Yusuke said. "Although that's normally what I would do…anyway, let's check out this shed that he didn't want us to go in."

Much to their disappointment, all they found in the old shed was a dry well. However, all of them, including Kuwabara, agreed that there was a strange feel to it, like something wasn't quite right. 

"It's just a well," Botan said, though not convincingly. "Do you suppose maybe he's hiding something at the bottom of it?"

Yusuke smirked at her. "Why don't you find out?"

Botan looked down, and could barely see the bottom. It looked empty. "I don't see anything."

"Then he's either jumped all the way down there, buried it, and climbed back up. If you ask me, he doesn't look like he'd take the effort to do that much."

"Either way," Kurama said. "We can't stay in here much longer."

"So what do we do? We haven't found out anything!" Yusuke protested.

"Then we do nothing but wait," Kurama replied. 

Hiei nodded, and added, "Of course. We wait. Keep watch. Something will happen eventually."

Frowning, Yusuke crossed his arms and huffed. "Hmph. Fine. We'll wait." Still grumbling, he marched out of the building. The others followed him, rolling their eyes.

As they were about to leave, Kurama found himself staring at the tree. That huge, ancient tree. He didn't know what it was about that tree that seemed to just…call to him. Beckon, if you will. Finally he could stand it no longer, and told the others to wait. 

Standing, facing the tree, he reached to lay a hand on its bark, and almost drew it back out of sheer reflexes. He felt it; a strange humming, a vibration that could only be felt by a spiritual being whether holy or demonic. Some mortals could feel it, but most only felt the minor things; a change in mood, perhaps. It was a holy tree. Demons could not touch it; mortals could, but demons could not. The demonic blood coursing through his veins made it difficult for him to touch, but he laid his hand upon it, regardless. A warm feeling spread through him as though he'd been blessed. It was quite possibly one of the best feelings he'd ever felt. When he withdrew his hand, he was smiling.

The others watched this in silence, wondering what exactly had taken place. But they could not wonder long. About that time, they heard the door to the shed open. Confused, they turned and saw a girl standing there staring at them. They stared back, speechless.

She was about fifteen, maybe sixteen, with long, dark hair and a green and white school uniform. She was carrying a huge backpack and was pushing a pink bicycle with her free hand. 

Overall she looked pretty normal, but they all knew that there was something very abnormal going on here.

One, because they could sense an extremely powerful energy that seemed to emanate off of her. Not to mention that Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei could smell the scent of a demon. It was faint, enough for them to know that she, herself, was not a demon, but she had definitely been in contact with one. 

And obviously she hadn't been in that shed just a moment ago. 

***

Stay tuned for Chapter 3!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This chapter is also long and windy, but the plot thickens even more. Bear with me until the end of this chapter, and you'll be begging for the next chapter...ok maybe not, but hey, it's possible. I had a little trouble with writer's block, but I think I got over it. Enjoy!

Jewel of circumstance chapter 3 – Down the Well

As the assumed leader of the group, Yusuke knew he had two choices. One, his usual first choice, was to take the aggressive approach and demand that this girl tell them who she was, how she had gotten in the shed without them seeing, and why she smelled like a demon. Not to mention why they could sense some powerful energy around her, and why she was staring at them like she'd been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing. She was just a little thing; she couldn't take on all five of them by herself; she'd have to give in eventually. It wasn't like they were going to beat it out of her; but she didn't have to know that, did she?

But he didn't think that would be the best method in this situation. 

The second option was to make up some other story, ask her a few questions, and see what she said. This was very awkward, something Yusuke did not like in the least. He had no idea what to say to her, and obviously she didn't know what to say to them, either. She just stood there, staring at them with an odd expression on her face. As if she knew something wasn't quite right about them. He had that feeling that she had a kind of sixth sense; perhaps she did, perhaps she didn't. Either way, he didn't think that starting a fight would prove useful. Normally he would be disagreeing with himself at that, but he'd matured. A lot. And if he wanted to keep his detective job, he had to do things right.

Meanwhile, Kagome continued staring at the strange group of older teenagers standing near the tree. Indeed, she was wondering who they were, why they were there, and why they were staring at her with such odd expressions on their faces. Like they knew, somehow, where she'd been. She figured that she was just being paranoid. There was no way anyone else could know where she'd been. And it wasn't like anyone would believe her if she told them, anyway. They would think she was crazy! 

So why were they there? Not many people came to the shrine anymore. Grandfather's tours had decreased considerably in number, as did sales for his little souvenir shop. Unless someone had specific interest in one of the Higurashi family members, they had few visitors.

But she probably looked silly standing there in the doorway of the shed. And suddenly, with that thought, a horrible idea came to her. Perhaps they were staring at her that way because they'd _been_ in the shed. Which was highly unlikely because Grandfather would go ballistic if they'd gone in there. But what if he hadn't known? Teenagers were infamous for doing things they weren't supposed to. Not that she would know anything about that…

She didn't know why she thought they had been in the shed. Still, in the back of her tired and confused mind, it was the only explanation she could think of as to why they were looking at her like that. Silly, perhaps, but it was a possibility. Perhaps she was just being irrational.

Mentally shaking the thoughts out of her head, she rolled her bike over to them and smiled as cheerfully as she could. "Um, hi there. Are you looking for someone?"

"Not necessarily," Kurama replied, not surprised when she stared at him in surprise. He was used to that reaction from people. But he wasn't about to cut his hair to make himself look more 'manly'. "We're students researching the history of ancient shrines for a school project. The old man gave us a tour already. We were just about to leave."

"That's right," Yusuke said, wondering if he was following Kurama's line of thought; just get out of there and then decide what to do. "You're, uh…Kagome?" Hadn't the old man mentioned someone by that name?

She nodded. "Yes, I'm Kagome. So, Grandfather gave you the tour? I bet that made his day."

Botan chuckled. "It sure did. The moment we mentioned 'tour', he lit up like the sun." She extended her hand to Kagome in greeting. "I'm Botan. This is Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei. Nice to meet you, Kagome."

"Nice to meet you all, too," Kagome replied. They seemed pretty nice, all except for the short one dressed all in black. He was staring at her with what she could only describe as hostility…kind of like the look Inu-yasha had when he would rather beat the information out of someone instead of asking him or her politely. Not that Inu-yasha knew what politeness meant, but still…it was the way this boy was looking at her. She found his gaze very uncomfortable, but stared back nonetheless. She was used to Inu-yasha's rude, obnoxious behavior; she could put up with hostile looks easily. He didn't look away, either.

The other four noticed this exchange and had to give the girl some credit; not many people could stand Hiei staring at them for long. Of course, they had no problem with it; they knew him, at least about as well as anyone could know Hiei. But this girl had no fear; no qualms about giving him a cold, hostile look back. All of them had to suppress laughing at how funny Hiei looked being stared down by a girl.

Finally Kurama broke the silent exchange and said to Kagome, "Can you tell us what is in that old shack over there? Your grandfather told us not to go in there."

Kagome froze, not sure how to reply. "Um…well, just, uh, junk. That's all! And an old well, it's pretty dangerous. He probably didn't want anyone to accidentally fall in."

Kurama nodded. "Do you know anything else about this shrine? Any particularly interesting bits of information your grandfather might have missed? He had to cut the tour short, said he had some things to get finished."

Kagome had bent down to pet the cat at this point, and inwardly thought, _'Oh if you only knew the half of it…'_ "Um, well…I really didn't pay attention to Grandpa's history lessons, if you could call them that. I've never really been good in history class, either…silly of me, isn't it? One day I'll be the owner of this shrine. I suppose maybe I should learn more about it."

"Wow, the owner?" Kurama asked. "That's an honorable position. And odd, for a young girl like yourself to want to have such a big responsibility placed on her shoulders."

She shrugged, seemingly nonplussed by that assessment. "Eh, well, school isn't so easy, either, you know? And besides, I love this shrine. I'm starting to be very interested in its history and the history of my family; after all, if you don't know where you came from, how can you know where you're going?" 

Kagome felt very proud of herself for remembering that statement. Kaede had told her that when she'd been complaining about Grandpa and his infatuation with 'history'. The old woman's words had been very poignant…

_"Kagome, your Grandfather knows that it is important to know his past. A man who refuses to acknowledge his past will never know where he is going in life. Take Inu-Yasha, for instance. He would rather forget his past, but he does not know his future, either. His future is as clear as the early morning mist, and he struggles through it like a blind man. You must know your past, and accept it, to truly have a future." _

"You know, that's a good point," Yusuke said thoughtfully. "I'll have to remember that…"

The others nodded, silent. Kagome didn't miss the looks on their faces, and was somewhat astonished. Apparently they all had a past. It wasn't hard to see that each of them had taken that statement in their own way. If only she could get Inu-yasha to think about his past and accept it. Maybe then he wouldn't be so…disagreeable, for current lack of a better term.

"Can you tell us one other thing?" Kurama asked. "Your Grandfather mentioned something called the 'Shikon jewel', but couldn't tell us where it is now. I must say I'm interested in its history."

Kagome thought she might have felt her heart stop at that question. _Normal, Kagome…act normal. _"I have heard of it," she said, trying not to let her voice start shaking. "But not a lot. I wouldn't know where it is, either."

Kurama smiled. "No matter, it was just a thought. Well, we've got to be going."

"Me, too. Nice meeting you all!"

She took off for the house; much like her grandfather had done a short while ago. They watched her go, then followed Yusuke and Kurama out of the yard, where Botan closed the gate behind them. She then turned to the rest of them and asked, "Well, what's the game plan? Any ideas?"

"We wait, like we were going to do. Botan, can you talk to Koenma from here?"

"Um…no, I didn't bring anything with me to communicate with him back in the spirit world," she said sheepishly. "Sorry!"

"It's no big deal," Yusuke replied. "Listen, here's what we're going to do. I think Kurama had this idea from the start…we're going to watch her. See what she does. There's something going on with her. Hiei, Kurama, I know you sensed it, too…that scent. She's not a demon, that's obvious, but something is definitely not right. There's also that strange energy that Koenma was talking about, and she had it with her. It could be the Shikon Jewel."

"Wait a minute," Kuwabara interrupted. "What scent? I'm lost here…I didn't see anything weird about her."

Yusuke sighed. "You didn't sense any strange energy, Kuwabara?"

"Well…" he thought for a moment. "I guess maybe just a little…"

"I believe it is the Shikon Jewel," Hiei said. "Kurama, do you not agree with me?"

Kurama merely nodded, saying nothing.

Yusuke stared at them suspiciously. "There's something going on with you all, isn't there?"

"What do you mean, Yusuke?" Kurama asked, giving him a pointed look. "What are you indicating?"

"I'm indicating that there's a conspiracy going on with you all. Except maybe Kuwabara, he never knows what's going on, anyway."

"Hey, I resent that, Urameshi!" Kuwabara exclaimed. "I know what's going on…I think."

Botan giggled. "Yusuke, relax. We're not conspiring against you. You're just paranoid because this is your first case in a very long time."

"I am not paranoid!" he shouted, then realized he was shouting. He tried to calm himself down. "Ok, look…I just have this feeling that there's this big secret, or you all have this plan going on behind my back. At least Hiei told me about the Shikon jewel when no one else was going to. How twisted is that?"

Botan and Kurama exchanged a look that plainly said, _'How do we get him to shut up?'_ "Yusuke, don't worry," Botan said. "Why don't we just report back to Koenma for now, and come back later?"

"She might be gone later!" Yusuke replied. "If that girl does have the Shikon jewel, we need to find out why, and all that stuff. We also need to find out the big secret about the shed where the well is. She must have come out of the well…we have to figure all of this out."

"All Koenma asked you to do was see about this strange energy," Botan said, half-hopeful.

"But we haven't discovered what it is yet," he replied. "We have to find out."

Botan sighed. "Very well. We'll wait to see what she does, although I **really** do not want to sit here all night. All of us look suspicious, you know. We have to get out of sight."

"Right. Botan, you and Kurama go over there by that tree. Night will be here soon, so it will be pretty dark over there shortly, and they won't see you. Hiei, you can go with them, and watch from the top of the tree. Kuwabara, you wait on the other side of the gate, and I'll stay down right here. Sound good?"

Everyone nodded and went to their respective stakeouts. Yusuke leaned up against the wall, and closed his eyes, wishing he didn't feel so uneasy. What was wrong with him? He trusted his friends, didn't he? He trusted them. He would like to believe that they trusted him…

But he wasn't so sure they did, and it bothered him more than he'd like to admit. He was sure that there was something going on with them, something they weren't telling him. And he didn't like secrets.

***

"Hello, Kagome, dear," Kagome's mother greeted her as she walked in the door. "Back so soon?"

"Yeah, I need more supplies. And do we have any more potato chips? Inu-Yasha loves those. I also wanted to get some candy bars for Shippou, and a Coke for Miroku. Oh, and do you have any – "

"Slow down, Kagome! Doesn't your mother get a hug?"

Kagome grinned and hugged her tightly. "I love you, Mama. You're so good to me."

"I try," she replied. "It's hard when my daughter is out roaming Feudal Japan, getting into dangerous battles and I can't be there. But I also could never tell you that you cannot go."

Kagome pulled away and gave her mother a solemn look. "Mama, don't worry about me. I will be fine."

"I know you will, sweetheart. I'm still your mother, though…and as your mother I suggest that you take a bath." She wrinkled her nose and winked at Kagome, who first looked offended and then laughed when she realized her mother was joking. 

"I probably do smell," she said. "Where's Grandpa?"

"He's in the living room. He said he wanted to talk to you."

"Okay. Thanks, Mama."

Kagome found her grandfather in the living room pacing back and forth, glancing out of the windows. She watched him for a few moments before she cleared her throat to get his attention. He stopped and looked up, and Kagome saw a mix of surprise and fear on his face.

"Kagome! Did you see those people outside? Are they still there?"

"No, Grandpa, they left."

"Did you talk to them?" 

Kagome had the impression that he was waiting for them to waltz in and take them all hostage. She sighed and nodded. "Yes, I talked to them. What's the big deal? They seemed pretty nice."

"They asked questions about the Shikon jewel!" he exclaimed. "They wanted to know where it was! Kagome, you didn't tell them anything, did you?"

"Why would I tell them anything? They asked me about it, too. Let me guess, you told them about it."

He coughed. "Well…it does figure in with the history of the shrine…"

"Of course they're going to be curious about it, then. Why wouldn't they? Unless they're tired of hearing about the 'history' of this and the 'history' of that." She gave him a pointed look.

He huffed, looking indignant. "You children are all so wrapped up in your video games and movies and rushing back and forth here and there, that you never have time to even listen…"

Kagome sighed again, and left the room, knowing that he was going to launch into one of his speeches again. "Don't worry about things, Grandpa," she called over her shoulder as she went upstairs to take a bath. She felt so tired and grungy…a short nap would be nice afterwards. She'd have to go back soon, but she wanted just a little bit of sleep in her nice, soft bed instead of the ground…just an hour, at the most…

***

Hiei was anxious. Of course, no one would be able to tell just by looking at him, but no one was looking, and he was grateful. He was perched on a fairly high branch of the tree Yusuke had told him to wait in, and was watching the Higurashi house with a rare amount of interest. He was mostly interested in that girl…she was different. There was something about her that made him uneasy.

Perhaps it was the way she had not backed away from his stare. Her look was more than indifferent, it was defiant. Not many humans could stare him straight in the eye and not eventually look away. Also, he could sense a power within her unlike anything he'd sensed before. It was a little like the power that Sensui had possessed…but different. Much different. Sensui had been mad, a holy warrior gone corrupt. This girl's power was much like that holy power, but it was not as strong. It also reminded him of the tree in the Higurashi shrine; a peaceful, serene energy that silently demanded respect.

There was also the **other** energy; most likely the one Koenma had sent them to investigate. She had possessed it, but it was not her own. She was not using it. Hiei knew that it was the Shikon jewel; at least, he was almost sure of it, and he was sure that Kurama felt the same way. That minor assurance did little to ease his nerves. 

As it was turning out, he knew that there would be more to this case. He had known from the beginning. Anywhere Yusuke went, trouble was sure to follow. Or, in some cases, Yusuke was sure to follow the trouble. Hiei had to admit that he, himself, would rather avoid trouble. Most probably wouldn't believe him. Ever since the ordeal with the sword, the one that got him into trouble with the Spirit World, he would rather stay out of the spotlight, so to speak. Of course, it didn't always work out that way. Koenma seemed to like recruiting him for everything that Yusuke did, probably as further punishment.

Did that mean that he still held a grudge towards Yusuke? No, it truly didn't. He had long since stopped despising Yusuke, even before discovering that the aggressive young man had a lot more in common with him than he first thought. Hiei was still not sure he could consider him a 'friend', but that wasn't necessarily a biased thing. He could hardly consider anyone a friend, not even Kurama who seemed determined to act friendly towards him. If had to choose one for a 'friend', it would be Kurama. But he wasn't about to admit this. Pride goeth before a fall…where had he heard that? He didn't know, but it seemed to stick with him lately. 

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. It wouldn't do to be stuck brooding over things and miss – wait…there, that girl had just gone out of her house, carrying that same large bag. He briefly thought of alerting the others, but dismissed that thought, as it would likely also alert that girl to their presence. He waited, watching her.

She got her bicycle and rolled it back towards the shed. She stopped, opened the door, and rolled her bicycle in, shutting the door behind her. Hiei's eyes narrowed; going back into the shed with the well? What was she doing in there? 

When he became sure that she wasn't going to come back out, he dropped down to where Kurama and Botan were. They stared at him curiously.

"She went back into the shed." 

Kurama frowned. "Really, now?" Hiei nodded.

"Why would she do that?" Botan wondered aloud.

Kurama shrugged. "Let's find out."

***

"She does a very good disappearing act," Yusuke said, after opening the shed door, and all of them peered inside to the very empty shed. Only the well greeted them. They could still sense the strange energy, but at this point they were too confused to really pay much attention. 

"I don't get it," Kuwabara said, scratching his head. "Where did she go?"

Kurama stared at the well. "I think she went down there."

"But there's nothing in it!" Botan exclaimed, peering in. 

Yusuke rubbed his chin, thinking. "You know, it does sound crazy, but I think I'm willing to try anything. We need to follow her, and if she went down the well, then we're going, too."

"Shouldn't we tell Koenma, first?" Botan wondered, looking nervous.

"Why? What difference would it make?" Yusuke asked. "I think Koenma would probably tell us to investigate it; after all, she had the 'strange energy' he wanted to know about, so we should further our investigation as much as possible, right?"

"I still don't think-"

"Look, Botan, it'll be ok! When did you become such a wuss?"

She glared at him. "I resent that!"

However, Yusuke was grinning. "So you'll go then?"

She shoved him out of the way. "Fine. I'll go first!" She stared into the dark well, and for a moment looked like she might back out. But she took a deep breath, climbed over the small wall, jumped down…

And disappeared.

"Wha…holy shit!" Yusuke cried. "She…she's gone!"

"Botan!" Kuwabara yelled. "Hey, Botan, are you down there?"

There was no answer.

Kurama and Hiei exchanged brief glances, after which Hiei said to Yusuke, "Perhaps you should go next?"

Yusuke swallowed hard. "I guess so…" he said quietly. "Kuwabara?"

"No way, Urameshi. I'll go after you."

He sighed. "Fine." He crouched on the wall of the well, closed his eyes, and jumped. 

***

Kurama waited for Hiei to jump in, and finally he was there, alone, the last one to take the leap into the well. He placed his hand on the wooden wall and peered into the darkness. Nothing. Had Koenma mentioned this? He wasn't sure he could remember…Koenma had told him a lot. He'd also given him the shard, which he held in his hand now.

Looking at it, he was surprised how well Koenma had been able to mask its power…but then again, this was a shard that had been in the hands of a spiritual ruler for centuries. Its power had neither increased nor diminished, but it was not corrupted. It was a shard that had almost been purified. Exactly why Kurama believed that if the Shikon jewel were found and put in the hands of the Spirit World, it would be purified. But Koenma had disagreed. 

He was sure that Koenma hadn't told him everything; just the general plan, which he was still quite unsure of.

Destroy the Jewel of Four Souls. 

Sighing, he swung his legs over the side and dropped in.

***

Koenma watched as the last of his group disappeared into the well. He'd been watching them the entire time, from the moment Yusuke walked out of his house that morning until then. As soon as they were gone, he made his appearance, also peering into the darkness just as Kurama had done. He'd given Kurama the shard for that purpose: to send them into the well.

He felt anxiety like he'd never felt. If his plan didn't work, at least to some extent, he didn't know what he would do. He hated doubting himself, just as he hated sending Botan with them. He had not told her anything except to go with them wherever they went, no matter what. She had agreed, perhaps reluctantly, which was understandable. 

He rubbed his temple wearily before giving the well a scornful look. He then reached into the folds of his robe and produced a small piece of paper: a protective ward, much more powerful than the ones Kagome's grandfather had put over the well. Koenma briefly wondered just how the well had gone undetected so long. 

He did not want to do this, but he had to help ensure that his task would be completed. Heaving a troubled sigh, he covered the well and placed the protective ward over it, sealing it. No one or nothing could move that seal. There was no way in or out.

The rest was up to them. 

***

Stay tuned for Chapter 4! Please review ^_^


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Chapter 4!! More curse words this time, and more cheesy dialogue. I LOVE CHEEZ! It is almost 5 am, people, as I write this author's note for yet another chapter of this story. Here's hoping it turned out halfway decent.

Chapter 4 – Confrontation 

_"You bastard! What do you mean we can't go back?!" _

Botan and Kuwabara cried out in alarm as a very furious Yusuke grabbed a fistful of Kurama's shirt and pulled the redhead a mere inches from his snarling face. Both Botan and Kuwabara were afraid that things would get ugly; the look on Yusuke's face spoke volumes that he was ready to kill just about anything, and Kurama was not the type to be passive in any sort of battle, friend or not. 

But Kurama replied as calmly as ever, "I mean exactly what I said. We cannot return through the well."

"Why? What makes you think I want to stay here after being tricked into this?" Yusuke demanded to know, his voice dangerous.

Kurama's eyes did not waver; his gaze remained fixed on Yusuke's. "This is part of Koenma's plan. He did not want you to know until you were here."

"What?! That stupid, stupid idiot!"

Botan gasped. "Don't call Koenma stupid!" she yelled.

"Shut up, Botan!" Yusuke growled. "I'm not talking to you right now!" She stared at him, shocked, and was silent. 

Yusuke turned back to Kurama, who was still staring at him with an unreadable expression. "Ok, Kurama…what exactly was Koenma's 'plan', and why didn't he trust me enough to tell me the truth, instead of a phony plan that really wasn't what he wanted me to do at all?"

"Koenma's plan was to get us here, which he didn't exactly say what this place is, but it has to do with the Shikon jewel. He wants us to destroy it."

"So he didn't want us to simply find it, he wanted us to destroy it?"

Kurama nodded. "This girl, Kagome, obviously is connected with this place. Somehow, the Shikon jewel connects our world with this world." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the glowing shard of the jewel. "This is a shard of the jewel."

Yusuke finally let go of Kurama's shirt, and stared at the shard with fascination. "A shard of the jewel? How did you get it?" 

"Koenma gave it to me in order for us to get here. He wasn't sure, but he thought that having the jewel was the only way to get through the well."

The others rushed forward to view the glowing object in Kurama's hand. "Wow, it's so pretty," Botan mused. "But Kurama…doesn't this mean…?"

He nodded, understanding her unfinished question. "It means that the actual jewel is not complete. Koenma told me that the jewel had been broken into several pieces and scattered throughout the land. This is the shard that he found back then. It is completely purified; no traces of evil, which is why its presence was so easy to cover with a masking spell. It may be only speculation on my part, but I imagine that this girl, Kagome, would have sensed its presence had its energy not been covered, and the spell is wearing off."

Yusuke was confused. "How do you know that she can sense the jewel?"

"I don't. But she is not an ordinary girl."

Yusuke nodded. "Yeah, I'd kind of gathered that, too."

"She is not strong by any means, but her spirit energy is more powerful than that of a normal human, much like yours, Yusuke, only I somehow doubt it's even close to being as powerful."

Yusuke shrugged. "I really couldn't sense that much about her. But I guess I wasn't exactly paying attention…"

Kuwabara scratched his head. "You know, I thought maybe I could…but I wasn't sure, so I didn't want to say anything."

Yusuke glanced up at the sky and sighed. "Ok, so we're getting off the subject here. Why does Koenma want the jewel to be destroyed?"

"I don't know that, Yusuke," Kurama replied. "I don't claim to know what goes on in Koenma's head."

"Didn't he tell you _anything_?"

"Only to destroy the Shikon jewel, and we're not to return until we've done so."

Yusuke sighed and rubbed his temple. "I swear this has got to be like straight out of a movie. Any minute now some camera people are going to jump out from behind fake bushes and yell 'CUT!'"

But no such thing happened, and the discussion fell into silence. Yusuke could only pace back and forth, wishing he could wrap his hands around that little brat's neck and choke him to death…if he could, actually, do that. For one, Koenma wasn't exactly *alive* in human terms; and two, Koenma wasn't exactly available at the moment. So that left Yusuke without a viable excuse to vent his frustrations. He did manage to kick the well a few times while pacing around, while the others simply watched him and were lost in their own thoughts.

Botan wondered why Koenma had sent her on this trip if he knew that he was sending them into another strange world where she couldn't contact him. She had tried and tried, but had found herself to be completely cut off from him. She couldn't even reach out to him with her mind, as she was occasionally able to do when she concentrated hard enough. Though her powers were limited in the human world, she could still be a source of help in that way. What, exactly, would her purpose be here if she couldn't contact Koenma?

Kurama was watching Yusuke and feeling like a traitor of sorts. Indeed, the situation had gone far better than he'd imagined, but he still did not like lying to Yusuke, as Koenma had instructed. He also didn't like that Koenma himself had lied to Yusuke; it just wasn't like the ruler of the Spirit World to lie to his detectives about their job. If Koenma was knowingly sending them into a dangerous situation without telling them the truth, then Kurama felt that his respect for Koenma would seriously falter. Especially since Yusuke was the Spirit World's greatest asset; to lie to him was a serious offense, and Yusuke would resent Koenma for it for a long time.

Kuwabara was trying to ignore his growling stomach and the gnawing feeling of nervousness that, along with his hunger pains, was making him feel nauseous. He was afraid of this place, though he'd never admit it. His spiritual power felt different, perhaps stronger, somehow, as though it had been unleashed. It gave him a rush like nothing else and scared him beyond imagination. He made a mental note to ask Yusuke about it later, wondering if he, too, felt the same.

Finally Hiei, usually the one with the most on his mind, was actually enjoying this. Like Kuwabara, he felt that his powers had suddenly grown stronger, as though a binding force had been lifted and he felt renewed, rejuvenated. He hadn't noticed it at first, but gradually he felt certain that he could sense something strange about this place. He was beginning to become interested…something that rarely happened unless he was fighting. Perhaps it was the thrill of the promise of fights to come that was sparking his interest. Perhaps this case would not be as he'd originally thought…with Yusuke getting in over his head and causing disaster wherever he went. Amazingly, Yusuke had been thinking rationally up until Kurama had told him the big secret…which even then, things had gone better than he'd thought. Kurama had informed Hiei of Koenma's plan before meeting Yusuke at the train station, and Hiei had been sure that all hell would break loose…almost quite literally.

At any rate, none of them wanted to sit there forever thinking about what they were going to do. Finally Kurama stood to his feet and announced, "I doubt that sitting here will get us anywhere. So let's at least try to find someone who can tell us where we are. If we find Kagome, she could probably shed some light on this situation."

"Let's find some food, too," Kuwabara offered. "I'm starving."

***

Inuyasha sighed. He was bored. Kagome had returned a short while ago, and while he knew that, he was perched on top of Kaede's hut, listening to the din of conversations going on beneath him. He heard Miroku and Sango talking about something, not that he was really paying much attention. Shippou was playing with Kirara, with a cat toy that Kagome had brought from her time. Inuyasha had made the comment that Kirara wasn't like the brainless cats in Kagome's world that would be amused by something as silly looking as that, but Kagome had insisted that Kirara would like it, anyway. And she'd been right.

Kagome was silent, however, and Inuyasha wondered what she was thinking about. Normally she joined in on the conversations, but tonight she seemed pensive. He heard Kaede ask her what was wrong, and then her cheery reply that everything was fine. He snorted. That excuse was about as convincing as hearing his brother say that he loved humans.

He sighed again and wished they were out looking for Shikon shards rather than sitting around wasting time. He was tired, but he could deal with it. He wanted this ordeal to be over, he wanted to kill Naraku and be done with it. He really didn't want to think about what he would do afterwards, that was thinking _too_ much. His head started hurting when he thought about 'after'…he didn't want to think about what _might_ happen. 

Like Kagome going back to her time and never coming back…

Like using the Shikon jewel to become full demon, like he'd originally planned. The thought of it scared him…he was afraid of losing his mind like before and killing everyone.

And other things that he didn't care to think about.

But the end was not in sight…and wouldn't be for some time. He only hoped that they could destroy Naraku before he could get the final shards. He did not want to think about how Naraku would use the jewel once it was completed. It was already so corrupted…it would take a long time for Kagome to purify it. Kikyou had been the previous keeper of the jewel. Even then, it had not been purified completely. 

His thoughts were interrupted when he caught the scent of demons coming towards the village…as well as humans. He sniffed the air…three or four…one human, or two, he couldn't tell. Not that many. At any rate, they were coming towards the village, most likely in search of the Shikon jewel shards that Kagome had. They were also coming from the same direction she had come, from the well in the forest. He sighed wearily, and jumped down from the roof. 

No sooner than he landed on the ground, Kagome slammed into him, nearly knocking both of them over. 

"What the – watch where you're going, woman!" he growled. "Where are you going in such a rush?"

She glared at him. "I came out here to tell you that I can sense a Shikon shard…and it's coming this way! It feels sort of faint…but it's a shard."

"It's not like those fake ones, is it?" he asked.

She shook her head, remembering the fake Shikon jewel shards made by Izumo, the half-demon. She still felt sad for him…he had wanted to become human so terribly. The pains of not belonging to either race…neither youkai nor human. Inuyasha knew those pains well.

"I don't think it's like those," she said. She wasn't exactly sure, but she could hope. 

About that time, Miroku, Sango, and Shippou peered out the door, wondering what was wrong. "Ah, Shikon shard…that's why you ran out of here so fast," Miroku said. "Coming this direction?"

Kagome nodded. 

Inuyasha frowned "I sensed demons coming this way, right when you sensed the Shikon shard."

"Best not to lead them to the village," Miroku said.

Inuyasha flexed his clawed fingers and grinned that usual 'battle-hungry' grin, as Kagome had come to identify it as. "Let's go greet them, then."

***

"A village!" Kuwabara shouted. "We're saved!"

A large sweatdrop appeared on Yusuke's forehead. "Uh…Kuwabara, the situation isn't _that_ bad…"

Kuwabara frowned and then glared at Yusuke. "Listen, Urameshi, I haven't eaten all day. I'm starving. And where there's a village, there's bound to be food."

Kurama chuckled. "Not to mention, that Kagome girl is bound to be there, as well. And if she's not, the people there might know about her whereabouts."

"Wait, I think I see people coming this way," Botan said, squinting to see in what little light the moon provided.

The others followed Botan's gaze to see the dark silhouettes of a group of people coming their way in what seemed to be a rush. They stared for a few moments, suddenly not sure what to do…or what to say. Yusuke felt that uneasy, awkward feeling rush over him like a waterfall…and ruefully thought of a way to explain their situation: "Hi, we fell down a well in Tokyo, Japan, and ended up in the middle of nowhere, can you tell us where the hell we are?"

Inuyasha, meanwhile, had spotted what he'd thought to be the group of demons, only to find that they looked like normal humans. He, of course, knew that looks were very deceiving, having learned this from experience. They were just standing there, looking lost and confused. He turned to Kagome and asked, "Are they the ones with the Shikon jewel?"

Kagome had a look on her face of somewhere between shock and dismay. "Yes, I see it. The redhead, from what I can tell, has one in his pocket…but I don't understand…"

Inuyasha was confused. "Don't understand what?" He looked back at them, and then made a slight connection. "Hey, their clothes are strange…like yours. They're from your time, aren't they?"

Kagome nodded slowly, her eyes wide. Inuyasha saw that she was shaking slightly. "I…I don't understand…" she said, her voice trembling. She saw them walk towards her and the others, and tried to quell the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. They had **looked** harmless enough…but could they really be demons? Hadn't she felt something was strange about them when she'd met them at the shrine?

Miroku and Sango shared a glance, and shrugged. "Do they look like demons to you?" he asked Sango. She shrugged again and replied, "Perhaps the short one, he has a fierce look about him. The others merely look lost." 

"Hey!" Yusuke yelled suddenly, pointing at Kagome, and then realized he didn't know what else to say. He frantically tried to decide which question to ask first…there were multitudes of questions that needed answering, and this girl was the one to answer them. "Where the hell are we?" he asked, thinking it to be the most important at the moment.

Kagome was confused, and then angry. This guy didn't have to talk to her like that! She could tell Inuyasha didn't like it, either, as he started growling low in his throat.

"Where did you get that Shikon shard?" she asked, ignoring his question, and pointed to Kurama.

Kurama moved in front of Yusuke, sensing an outburst from him at being ignored. "It was given to me. We don't intend to use it for negative purposes."

"Feh, I don't know of any demon that doesn't use it for his own selfish purposes!" Inuyasha stated, pulling out the Tetsusaiga. "Hand it over!"

Botan, Kuwabara, and Yusuke all gasped as the Tetsusaiga transformed into the large fanged sword. Kuwabara whistled. "Whoa, that sword is huge! I wish my spirit-sword was that big!"

Hiei snorted. "Hn…it's not the size of the sword, it's how you use it."

Kuwabara gave Hiei and evil grin. "And you would be an expert on smaller swords, wouldn't you?"

Hiei didn't reply, but the look he gave Kuwabara was enough to make the taller man refrain from making his next comment.

Yusuke was impressed, but he could see the look of a challenge in the other's eyes. "Heh," he laughed, feeling the rush of an impending battle surge through his veins. "Pretty impressive sword. But we're not handing over the Shikon shard…instead, why don't you answer my question before I get violent?"

"So get violent, then," Inuyasha answered with a snarl. "Where do you get off demanding for things you probably don't know anything about?"

Yusuke was about to answer when Kurama raised his hand sharply, interrupting him. Yusuke reluctantly stopped, but still glared daggers at the white-haired, dog-eared brat. Inuyasha glared back, ready for him to strike. 

Kurama spoke calmly, "Our intention is not to fight…and your accusation of us using the shard for our own purposes seems very shallow considering you're a demon, yourself."

"What of it?" Inuyasha bit back. Kagome sighed.

"Inuyasha, calm down. Look," she said, talking to Kurama. "I don't want to fight if we can help it. How did you get through the well, and why did you follow me, if you won't tell me where you got the Shikon shard?"

Kurama smiled. "It seems each of us has a story to tell. But please answer our questions after I have answered this." He eyed Inuyasha's sword with respect, but also with a clear warning in his green eyes. "I am not one to turn down a battle to defend myself. In any case, we followed you because we suspected you had the Shikon jewel. The man we work for asked us to investigate a powerful energy that surrounded your shrine, which we believed might have been the jewel. He is the one who gave me the jewel shard."

"So you know that the jewel is not complete yet," Kagome said. Kurama nodded gravelly. And suddenly, something dawned on her. "Wait a minute…if this guy gave you the jewel shard in our time…then…"

Kurama nodded. "The jewel was never completed."

An intense feeling of dread filled Kagome's heart. "So we never found the last shard…?"

Kurama shook his head. "I don't know. Perhaps that is why he sent us here…which is, may I deduce, is sometime in the past?"

Kagome nodded. "The Sengoku-Jedai…Warring States era."

Everyone heard a sharp intake of breath, and they all looked at Botan, who had a look of horror on her face. Yusuke blinked. "Botan, what's your problem?"

She collapsed to the ground, her knees having given out. "I know…I know now…" She gasped. Kuwabara knelt down beside her.

"Botan, are you okay?" he asked. He was shocked at the look on Botan's face as she looked up at him, tears brimming in her eyes. 

"I couldn't contact Koenma," she said softly. "Now I know why. He'd told me, a long, long time ago, but I'd forgotten. Kuwabara…the spirit world…is gone."

********************************************************** 

I'm evil to end it here, I know, but this chapter has been a pain the ass to write. This is the most satisfying version that I've written (about the sixth draft or so) and this is it, I give up. Here's to chapter 5, which will hopefully be a whole hell of a lot easier to write…

I had a bunch of notes to add concerning this chapter but I'm too tired and it's all too complicated. So, uh, if there's any questions, just ask, and I'll try to answer them. 

Thanks so much for the reviews, I hope you liked this chapter just as much as the others. Sorry for the long wait between chapters.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Whew! You all have no idea how stuck I was on this chapter. Everything I wrote looked so unbelievably cheesy it was disgusting. This is the final version, the one that, at least in my opinion, was not nearly as cheesy as the previous drafts of this chapter. A few things to mention...I made up my own little story about how and why the spirit world is gone in the Feudal Era. It has more to it, but I will get to that later. Um...just so you all know, it's probably completely inaccurate to the actual plot of the series. The inaccuracies will abound in this story, I'm sure, so I'm sorry ahead of time for getting stuff wrong. Feel free to point stuff out, though, and if it's really bad, my apologies. That's what I get for being imperfect. Otherwise, enjoy the parts that are accurate ^_^

More notes: A bunch of people asked what the pairings, if any, would be. I honestly don't have an answer to either one. I want to indulge in some romance but I may not depending on how long I want this story to be. It's already looking pretty long. A lot of people have suggested Kagome/Hiei, and while I am a major Inuyasha/Kagome fan, that pairing actually might be fun to toy with. We'll see. Just don't hold your breath.

**Chapter 5 – Division**

Kuwabara blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

The rest of them were also confused. Those who even knew about Koenma and the spirit world could just stare at Botan like she'd lost her mind. Those who didn't know about Koenma and the spirit would also stared at Botan like she'd lost her mind. But of course they really had no idea what was going on with this other strange group of people, and for the moment said nothing. Kagome, however, took the initiative and knelt beside Botan, not knowing how to help or even what to say. She placed a hand on Botan's shoulder and said, "Are you alright?"

Botan gave her a look of sorrow. "No," she replied. "I…we need to go back…we have to go back through the well. I can't stay here. I can't contact Koenma. I can't go through this."

"Botan, get a grip," Yusuke said, sounding a little irritated. "Just explain to us what the hell you're talking about and maybe we'll know how to deal with it. Just calm down."

"Yeah, Botan," Kuwabara added. "None of us really know what's going on, anyway."

Botan sighed, still trembling, and sat up on her knees, folding her arms. "I don't even know where to begin."

"Start by explaining why the spirit world is gone," Kurama said.

"Like I said, I don't know where to begin," she repeated. 

"First of all," Miroku interrupted, having decided that it was time for him to speak up. After all, he had knowledge of the supernatural, so perhaps he could help. "Explain to those of us who are in the dark, here, so to speak. What is the 'spirit world' you speak of?"

"The spirit world is technically what I work for," she replied. "The others aren't necessarily directly employed by Koenma, but I am. I was sort of created for it. I'm not exactly human, myself. I suppose that merits a deeper explanation but at this point let's just say that I'm a ferry girl…I take souls to the spirit world where they can then go on to achieve eternal peace or torment. The ruler is Enma Daioh, who oversees this transition, with the help of his son, Koenma, who really does most of the work. The spirit world does not intervene much with the human world, but it does help keep the demon world at bay."

Miroku stared at her, a look of deep thought on his face. "In all of my learning of the history and beliefs of our people, I have never heard of this spiritual world in the way that you speak of it. But I have heard of a world that existed long ago, it is a legend. A myth, though all myths hold their own elements of truth. It speaks of a world in which the dead resided and were, as you say, held until they could move on, and were cared for by these spiritual rulers that you speak of. But it was destroyed. A great host of demonic forces broke through the barrier of this spiritual world, and many souls became lost to torment. It was then that the spiritual rulers of that world took up residence here. It is said that they are still here, living among the people, in order to keep the demon population under control. They appear as any normal human."

Botan nodded. "That's exactly right. That's exactly what happened…that's why I can't reach Koenma from here. My powers are cut off…since the spirit world is no longer there. There's no way I could find him here…not if he's disguised as a human. He wouldn't know me, either. We need to go back…"

"Really, Botan, why would we need to contact Koenma?" Kurama asked. "If we already know what we were sent here to do."

"What exactly _were_ you sent here to do again?" Inuyasha asked, not hiding the note of disdain in his voice at all. 

"Find the jewel," Kurama replied. "Or in this case, the shards to complete it."

"And what makes you think that you can do a better job than we have?" Inuyasha bit back. "We've been searching for the shards of the jewel for months! We haven't had much luck finding the shards or keeping them. The dangers we face are great. Naraku could chew all of you and spit you out without blinking an eye."

"Who is Naraku?" Yusuke asked.

No one noticed the look that had briefly crossed Hiei's face. Naraku? Hadn't he heard that name before? In the demon world, he was sure it had been a fairly popular name. 

"Naraku is an extremely powerful demon," Kagome explained. "His power is not something to be taken lightly. He has directly affected all of our lives in some tragic way, except perhaps me and Shippou, our young fox cub we left behind in the village. He, Naraku that is, lives to create discord and despair. We've been so close to catching him so many times, but he escapes every time."

"He can take different forms," Miroku added. "He uses it to his advantage. He also has several subordinates that technically are just an extension of himself."

"He's very manipulative and can make you believe almost anything," said Sango.

Inuyasha's fists were clenched just thinking about it. "He will pay! No matter how long it takes, he will pay for what he's done."

"And he's got shards of the jewel?" Yusuke asked.

"Oh yes," Kagome replied. "He's got most of them. Including many that he's stolen from us."

Inuyasha bared his teeth at them in a snarl. "Look, don't think that you can join us just to have a shot at getting your hands on the jewel. Once we find the last shard, the jewel is mine!"

Kurama stared at him evenly. "What makes you think we would **want** to join you?"

All eyes turned to Kurama in shock. Yusuke was especially surprised, even though he had been thinking about blowing off this bad-tempered brat and his group and going to look for the jewel shards with his own. But still, he'd been expecting Kurama to offer his assistance. What was Kurama thinking?

Even Inuyasha was taken aback by the redhead's cool reply. He smirked. "So you'll go after Naraku yourselves? Feh! You don't even know where to look. You all wouldn't last ten minutes out there."

"Oh yeah?!" Kuwabara yelled. "You probably wouldn't last ten seconds against any of us!"

Botan smacked him. "Don't include me in on this!" she yelled back at him. He cursed and rubbed the back of his head, glaring daggers at her.

"You wouldn't want to test me!" Inuyasha growled, and once again pulled out Tetsusaiga. The sword transformed, and everyone could hear the metallic ring of the fang as though it were singing. Inuyasha held it in front of him, silently daring them to attack.

Yusuke rolled up his sleeves, ready for anything this Inuyasha had to dish out. But Kurama held up his hand, giving Yusuke that same warning look. Yusuke's look grew dark. Kurama was treading on thin ice, here.

Looking back at Inuyasha, Kurama continued. "With the exception of Botan, all of us have fought more battles than you could imagine. And we can fend for ourselves, having done so before. Our motives for collecting the jewel are not personal, but strictly business, you might say. I offer no hostility towards you all. If it would be possible to work together to perhaps achieve a negotiation, I would gladly offer an allegiance. However, if our help would not be wanted, then we will do what we set out to do, regardless. We will accomplish our mission, whatever possible."

"Wait!" Kagome said quickly. "Why don't you at least come back to the village with us? Maybe Kaede knows something about these spirit-people and can tell you where to find them. At any rate, there's food, and a place for you all to sleep. It'll be crowded in Kaede's hut, but at least it will be warm. And tomorrow morning you all can decide what to do."

Kuwabara was all for this idea. "Food! Ok, my vote is in, I vote we go to the village."

"I second that," Botan said quietly. "I'm exhausted. Yusuke?"

Yusuke took one glance at Inuyasha, who was sulking and not looking very happy. He had not sheathed his sword, either, but had lowered it. He didn't seem that dangerous to Yusuke…more like a mouthy punk. Not that Yusuke would know anything about being a mouthy punk…

"Sure, why not?" he said, shrugging. "Kurama?"

"It sounds like a good idea to me. Hiei?"

"Hn." Hiei was still trying to think of where he'd heard the name 'Naraku' before.

Kagome clapped her hands. "I guess that's it. There will be time for introductions later. Let's just go back to the village."

***

When Kaede saw five more people accompanying the four that had left an hour ago, she looked at the pot of stew she had cooking on the fire. Never one to question strange things anymore, nor was she one to get angry over surprises such as these, she merely started chopping more vegetables for more stew. And when Kagome walked through the door, apologizing to Kaede that there were more people and she'd explain later, Kaede merely waved her hand to dismiss the apology. She would also have to find more blankets, and her small hut would be rather cramped, but first things first. She went to do the door and Kagome introduced her as the village priestess.

"At least tell me their names," Kaede admonished, staring through her good eye at the band of strangers standing outside her hut. She gave them each a once-over quickly as Kagome went through their names.

'Yusuke' at first glance looked bored and extremely agitated. Another young punk. But Kaede could see much more clearly, and could see that this boy held the spirit of a man; a fierce warrior and group leader. She detected faint demonic power within him, but also great spiritual power and a temper equal to Inuyasha's. She had the impression of pressure building inside of him to the point of explosion. And that explosion would be powerful and awe-inspiring. 

'Kurama' wore the body of a human, but the soul of a demon. This was odd, but not surprising to her, as again, she was not one to question strange things, but accept them. A great conflict lay within him, one that he covered up well. His eyes were gentle, but she could see intelligence behind them. While Yusuke was the brawn, Kurama was the brains of this group.

'Botan' was neither human nor demon, but also held the potential for spiritual power. She appeared weak, but Kaede knew otherwise. This girl could fight if she had to.

'Hiei' was also demon. Very much so. Kaede saw him as a blazing fire, for that was his element, and the flames could never be extinguished. Fierce loyalty lay deep within him to those he trusted. He returned her gaze with defiance and self-assurance, silently daring her to say anything to him. She did not, but her gaze spoke volumes to him, that she was not one to back down from a challenge, and she was not afraid of him. 

Finally, there was 'Kuwabara', who was a mountain of spiritual energy. This man would have been a priest in her time. A fighting spirit much like Yusuke's lay within this man's soul. And he, like Kaede, was completely human, an oddity in his group. Kaede smiled warmly at all of them.

"Well," she said. "You all are welcome to my stew, and are welcome to stay as long as you like."

"Thanks," Yusuke replied. "I'm pretty hungry now, too."

"I'm starving!" Kuwabara exclaimed once more. "Is it ready?"

"Help yourselves."

There was little more talk as the entire group devoured Kaede's stew. As they sat in the small hut, however, a rift between the groups was evident. They kept glancing at each other, still trying to figure one another out. Shippou had barely said anything, choosing to huddle close to Kagome, as he stared at each of these new, strange people. Kagome found it odd that Shippou was so quiet…normally the little fox cub had everything in the world to say. Maybe he was just overwhelmed. She felt quite overwhelmed, herself.

Finally Shippou whispered to her, "Kagome…what are these people doing here?"

"They're looking for the shards of the jewel," she replied calmly.

"What?! Why?!"

She sighed. "I guess someone they work for, some spiritual leader, told them to look for the jewel shards. That reminds me…Kaede, what do you know about the spirit world and spiritual leaders?"

Kaede rubbed her chin. "I've heard of them, but the stories and legends are so old, barely anyone talks about them."

"Would you know where they reside?" Kurama asked.

"Anywhere," she replied. "They could be anywhere. Even in this village. I have heard that they travel all over the countryside."

"I wonder if we'll run into them while looking for the jewel shards," Botan mused.

Kaede looked thoughtful. "This one you work for…why does he want the jewel shards?"

Yusuke shrugged. "Who knows? We're obviously not supposed to ask questions."

"He didn't exactly specify what he wanted us to do with them," Kurama said, though he knew very well what Koenma had ordered. "He just wanted us to find them."

Kaede nodded. "I see. How does Inuyasha feel about this?" she asked, glancing at the half-demon sitting in the corner, scowling. He mumbled something under his breath and looked away, saying nothing. Kaede chuckled. "Are you planning on joining together to find the jewel?"

The two groups exchanged glances and said nothing. Kaede sighed. "Let me just say," she began. "That joining forces would not hurt, certainly."

"Just so they know that the jewel is mine," Inuyasha growled.

"Inuyasha, would you hush?" Kagome snapped. "It doesn't matter who the jewel belongs to at this point. What really matters is that we get the shards back from Naraku and destroy him. Wouldn't you agree?"

"You're right," Kurama spoke up. "Obviously none of us would be getting anywhere if we left the shards in possession of this Naraku. I, for one, would be willing to put aside the mission itself for the time being if you would be willing to accept our help."

Inuyasha snorted. "Feh." And looked away again like he wasn't interested. "We don't need help."

"Don't they say in your time, Kagome, 'the more the merrier'?" Miroku asked.

She nodded, smiling. "With so many people joining our search, we could split up and cover more ground."

"True," Kaede said. "That's a very good idea, Kagome."

"How do we know that they won't take whatever jewel shards they find?" Inuyasha asked pointedly giving the other group a sharp glare.

Kagome caught Kaede's eye, and Kaede winked. "Well, Inuyasha," Kagome began. "We travel in separate groups. Some of us go with some of them in one group, and the same in the other group. That way you'll be satisfied if Miroku and Sango are there to watch and make sure they don't steal the jewel shards."

"That's an excellent idea," Kurama noted. "A smaller group is also less likely to draw unwanted attention."

"But…who goes with who?" Yusuke asked, wondering if they'd make him travel with that white-haired brat. 

"We can decide that in the morning," Kagome suggested. "That is if all of you would want to join us."

Kurama glanced at Yusuke, who shrugged again. "I'm game."

"I'll go," Botan chirped.

Kuwabara raised his hand. "Count me in."

That left Hiei, who snorted much like Inuyasha had and said in a somewhat disgruntled tone, "I have no choice." 


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I wrote this relatively fast, so I hope it turned out halfway decent. One thing I should mention...though this is probably a spoiler for the chapter, but I find it necessary to say this...I've never written fight scenes before, and this chapter's dialogue is very cheesy. I love Cheez! It reads, to me, like the dialogue they use in (both) series, be it English or Japanese, the cheesy dialogue is abundant. Also I use English terms for attacks. I tend to dislike the use of random Japanese words in an obviously English story, it doesn't matter if you're writing about Japanese people. However, I have been known to slip and use one every now and then, but I try very hard not to. I was actually going to start the traveling bit in this chapter, but Yusuke and Inuyasha were begging to spar with each other. So I let them. Enjoy!

Jewel of Circumstance chapter 6 – Tensions Rising 

That night was uncomfortable for everyone as eleven people tried to find sleeping space in Kaede's small hut. Not everyone had blankets, and the night air held a slight chill. Yusuke had only his jacket, but lent it to Botan, who had been trying to hide the fact that she was shivering, and not doing a very good job at it. It wasn't like he was going to sleep anyway, no matter how much he wished he could. So he endured the cold air and allowed himself to dwell on the current situation.

He was still pissed with Koenma, angrier than he'd ever been with the little brat. Koenma had been extremely vague in his instructions and Yusuke had been wondering if they were doing the right thing by exploring the well…until Kurama had told him that Koenma had planned the whole thing. Yusuke was fuming inside again just thinking about it…if he hadn't insisted on following Kagome through the well, what would Kurama have done? Forced him to go? Told him the truth? Instead, Yusuke had behaved just as Koenma obviously knew he would, and now it was too late. From what Kurama had said, they were not to return through the well. Somehow Yusuke knew that even if he'd insisted on going back, there would be no way to return. He didn't know this for sure. Intuition, perhaps. 

So now what? Somehow he'd gotten coerced into agreeing to travel with these people, specifically one that didn't want him or any of his group around at all. He hadn't even suggested the idea. For some reason, Kurama had suddenly taken control, and that pissed Yusuke off even more. He had to admit maybe Kurama handled things better than he did sometimes, but there was just something in his attitude that bothered Yusuke immensely. Like Kurama didn't even want him to open his mouth. It wasn't like him to just take over. What was the fox thinking?

Yusuke also noted that Kurama had avoided mentioning their true mission to these other people. He wondered what _they_ intended to do with the Shikon jewel. Perhaps they were planning on using it. The white-haired one known as Inuyasha seemed intent on having it. Why not destroy it? If it was such a dangerous object, why cause so much grief by keeping it around? Maybe…maybe it wasn't so easy to destroy. What if they finally got all of the shards and couldn't destroy it? Then what? They'd have to stay there forever!

He shook his head; no way! There was no way he was staying in this strange world forever! He had Keiko to think about…and his mother. And this place was too primeval for him. Well…at least it could do with some electricity and running water.

Still, he had to admit that the silence was quite nice. It was peaceful that night. There was no traffic, no sirens wailing in the distance, no crowds of people everywhere. There were definitely no complaints about the lack of those things. Then again, it was almost _too_ quiet. He supposed these people that he was going to be traveling with weren't so bad. They probably had good reasons not to trust them, just as he had good reasons not to trust them.

Apparently, from what Kagome had said, the only demons traveling in her group were Inuyasha and Shippou, the child, as well as the small two-tailed cat known as Kirara. Shippou had said very little. Inuyasha had kept giving them dirty looks and scowling. Yusuke wasn't intimidated. But he was annoyed. The other two traveling with Kagome's group were, as she'd introduced them later, Miroku and Sango. Miroku was a monk, and a perverted one. Sango was a demon exterminator. Kagome had only briefly introduced them, and had said nothing else about them. He felt a little strange, being forced to get to know these people. They had all basically been thrown together and now were expected to behave as a team?

Also there was the thought of this Naraku. He seemed to be a forced to be reckoned with, judging from the looks on their faces when his name was mentioned. Yusuke wondered if, since this Naraku had most of the Shikon shards, perhaps joining with these people wasn't such a bad idea after all. The more people there were to fight against Naraku, the better chance they had of winning.

He could at least agree to that.

He lost track of what he was thinking of by the time his eyelids drooped shut and sleep overtook him at last.

***

The next morning was a headache as Kagome had expected it to be. Inuyasha kept insisting that this idea was stupid, that the other group should just go on about their own business, to which Kagome replied by threatening to say the _word_. Botan asked what word Kagome was talking about, to which Kagome, without thinking, replied, "Sit." A nanosecond later, Inuyasha was imprinted on the ground, furious. He became even more furious when Yusuke started laughing and seeing if he could do the same thing. Of course, he couldn't, and suddenly found himself face-to-face with a bad-tempered dog demon that had a fistful of his shirt and was yelling in his face.

With an amazingly calm voice, Yusuke said, "Let go of my shirt, pal, and there won't be any trouble."

"You were asking for trouble the second you opened your mouth," Inuyasha snarled, and did not let go. A moment later, one of Yusuke's fists connected with the side of Inuyasha's face, knocking Inuyasha back about three feet and almost to the ground. Inuyasha caught his balance and managed to stay upright. Kagome let out a strangled cry; she could just see this fight breaking into an all-out war. The rest of them also stood, waiting to see the outcome, and preparing to react should the two start killing each other.

Instead, much to everyone's surprise, Inuyasha stood with a shocked expression on his face, rubbing his cheek. A large knot had appeared on his face, looking bruised and swollen. Yusuke stood, staring at Inuyasha with a slight smirk. He was ready for Inuyasha to react. He might have, too, if Kagome hadn't laid a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder and said quietly, "Inuyasha…sit."

That was the second time in a matter of minutes. She felt bad for doing it, but she did not need a fight so early in the morning.

Inuyasha, once he found the ability to stand to his feet once again, looked as though he was about to explode. "I did not deserve either one of those, Kagome," he said, his voice dangerously calm in light of how furious he was. "The first one was an accident, which was bad enough, but I am not going to listen to that…_brat_…run his mouth to me. If they think they can come in and take over how we do things around here…"

"Inuyasha, honestly, they're just going to help us. Don't you agree that more people to fight against Naraku is a good thing?"

"I don't care! I can kill Naraku by myself!"

Yusuke snorted. "So why haven't you?"

Inuyasha growled deep in his throat. This Yusuke was really getting on his last nerve. What did he know about it? Nothing! "Look, I don't know who you think you are…I'll KILL Naraku and then deal with you!"

Yusuke looked around. He'd had about enough of this punk's attitude. Never mind that it was astoundingly like his. "Well, I don't see this Naraku guy anywhere…but I'm right here."

The Tetsusaiga was aimed at Yusuke before he could blink. "Is that an invitation, then?" Inuyasha snarled.

Yusuke rolled the sleeves of his jacket up on his arms. "Take it however you want."

Botan and Kagome immediately looked at each other in horror. "Guys! Guys! Stop this," Botan cried, stepping in between them. Kagome and Kurama both pulled Botan out of the way just as Yusuke aimed his spirit-gun and gave Botan a furious look.

"Get out of the way, Botan! I'm not gonna hurt the smart-ass, I promise."

"You won't have the chance!" Inuyasha yelled, and ran towards Yusuke, raising the Tetsusaiga above his head.

Kuwabara and Hiei collectively sighed, just as Sango, Miroku, and Shippou also sighed…and then each glanced at each other.

"Does he do this all the time?" Miroku asked.

Kuwabara nodded. "I take it Inuyasha does this all the time, too."

Sango nodded. "Indeed. He's got quite the hot head."

Hiei smirked. "They seem to be well-matched in many aspects," he observed.

"It doesn't really look like they're fighting, though," Shippou mused. "I mean, if Inuyasha really wanted to hurt him, he could use one of his sword's attacks."

"Just the same," Kurama added. "If Yusuke wanted to, he could concentrate his spirit energy much more than what he is."

Kagome was at a loss. She had really hoped that Inuyasha would be more accepting. It wasn't like she was completely comfortable with these people, either. She wished she could 'sit' him again, but that would only make him angrier. What if this Yusuke really could hurt Inuyasha? Or vice versa? She wasn't looking forward to wrapping up wounds already, so early in the day.

***

Yusuke wasn't so sure they should be doing this in the midst of the village…after all, several people had gathered to watch the battle. But he was keeping his powers in check, not wanting to do a lot of damage. It couldn't be helped, though, if the white-haired demon brat let his real power out to play in the process. As it were, Inuyasha was blocking his spirit-gun attacks easily. If only he could get rid of the sword…

Inuyasha was impressed with this spiritual energy. It was very different from Kikyo's holy power, since this Yusuke was obviously half-demon, as well. He smelled human more than he did demon, but the demon power was there. Inuyasha could sense it in his attacks, the demonic energy underlying the spiritual energy. It was a little difficult to deflect with Tetsusaiga, but he wasn't having any trouble at the moment. 

"Your little attacks aren't any more damaging than one of Kagome's flashlights!" Inuyasha taunted.

"And your little sword looks dull," Yusuke replied calmly as he dodged said weapon. He dodged the sword again; surprised that Inuyasha had come in for a closer attack. He didn't have time to aim his gun at this close range, either, so he had to rely on his reflexes. 

"If it's so dull, why are you avoiding it?" Inuyasha cut back. 

"And if my attacks aren't damaging, why are you deflecting them?" Yusuke asked with a yawn. He inwardly grinned as he saw Inuyasha frown. Good, he was getting even more pissed.

"Are you going to bark all day, little doggy, or are you going to bite?" Yusuke said, smiling, and then swore that he saw flames in the dog demon's gold eyes.

"You'll pay for that!" Inuyasha roared, and came at Yusuke like a madman. Yusuke easily dodged the attack and did a neat back flip, landing several yards away. He stood, grinning at the furious Inuyasha.

If that was how he was going to be, Inuyasha was going to comply. He raised Tetsusaiga once again above his head, and immediately knew that he was risking another 'sit' when Kagome gasped sharply.

"NO! NO, Inuyasha! Not here in the village!"

He ignored her, and prepared the attack. He was going to show this punk just exactly what he was all about.

Yusuke tensed, his eyes widening. The demonic energy surrounding Inuyasha had increased dramatically…he was preparing a huge attack with the sword. Yusuke raised his hand, his finger pointing upward, and concentrated his spirit energy on the tip of his finger. As soon as he heard the words "WIND SCAR" cried out by Inuyasha, he didn't even have time to think. The wave of demonic flames came hurling at him, and all he had time to do was what his instinct told him to do: FIRE!

***

Everyone watched in awe as two powerful attacks came head-to-head. Kagome let out a strangled cry of amazement and disbelief as Yusuke's spirit-gun attack actually _pushed back_ the Wind Scar. 

"That is incredible!" Shippou cried.

"It's as though it's nullifying the Wind Scar," Sango said, feeling a little dizzy by what she was seeing. It was breathtaking.

When the flames and the light dissipated, Inuyasha stood on one end, Yusuke on the other, both breathing heavily. Inuyasha leaned on Tetsusaiga, glaring at Yusuke with tired eyes. Yusuke stared back, a slight grin on his face. He then walked on shaking legs over to Inuyasha, who was drained from the attack. Inuyasha watched as Yusuke stood in front of him, his arms crossed.

"Well?" Yusuke asked.

Inuyasha frowned, not sure what he meant. Did he want to continue fighting? Amazingly enough, the Wind Scar had not only been _erased_…but Inuyasha's energy had been zapped along with it. He would continue fighting if he had to. He was used to impossible situations.

"Well what?" he asked.

"I guess we could call that a draw, wouldn't you agree?"

Inuyasha stared at him in disbelief. But…that would mean that neither one of them won…

Oh what the hell. 

He allowed a slight grin. "Next time I won't go so easy on you."

Yusuke smirked. "I'll remember that."

The rest of the group watched in horror as Yusuke then patted Inuyasha on the head fondly and said, "Good boy!" Several profanities from the latter ensued and Kurama, Kuwabara, and Botan rolled their eyes. 

"He just won't leave well enough alone," Botan groaned. "Still, that fight was pretty amazing. I wonder if maybe they'll get along now."

Kagome smiled. "I doubt it."

***

They decided not to leave that day, everyone giving Inuyasha and Yusuke a hard time because of it.

"If you two hadn't decided to fight like a couple of little kids, we might be on our way now," Kagome and Botan said in unison. 

"I'm fine, we can still leave," Inuyasha retorted.

"You are not. You can barely stand," Kagome said, pointing to his slumped posture as he leaned against the wall. He sighed and sat down, defeated.

"So what do we do now?"

Sango cleared her throat to gain everyone's attention. Thus far, she hadn't said much, but now she had something to say. Everyone looked at her.

"Since we're not leaving today, and Kaede is still cooking the stew…perhaps one of you could tell us your story?"

Yusuke shrugged. "I have a lot of stories. Which one do you want to hear?"

"Likewise," Kurama said solemnly. "Though some of mine aren't worth retelling."

Shippou, however, was interested. "Is it true that you're really a fox demon?" he asked, his eyes wide with curiosity. Kurama glanced at him and nodded. 

"It's true, I was…am…in spirit a fox demon. My body is human, but my spirit is demon."

"How does that work?" Kagome asked. 

Kurama smiled ruefully. "That, I'm afraid, is one of the stories not worth retelling."

"Tell us about your life as a fox demon, then," Shippou urged. 

Kurama's smile faded. "It is not worth retelling, either."

Shippou's eyes dropped to the floor. "Oh."

An uncomfortable silence followed, until Yusuke said, "Well, does anyone want to hear any of my stories or not?" 

****

Next chapter coming soon!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: What have we here? A fast update??!! The groups split up in this chapter, and I went with a reviewer's suggestion of having a conversation between Miroku and Hiei. I think it turned out pretty well! I also figured out a somewhat minor plot point involving Kurama that I give VERY subtle hints to. Whoever can guess it I owe you a Coke. Also please note that if you haven't seen up to roughly episode 80-82, beware of spoilers. This fic, I've decided, is set right after the fight with Naraku, Sesshoumaru, and Inuyasha, and Naraku disappears. I may or may not involve the Shichinintai (for those who haven't seen that far ahead, they're around episode 100 to 120 something), I haven't decided that yet, since after Naraku disappears, this fic plans on being mostly AU. At any rate, read on and enjoy.

Jewel of Circumstance Chapter 7 

Later on that night, when everyone was asleep, Hiei sat near the door of the hut, his back propped against the hard wall. Not that he ever slept much, anyway, if one could call it 'sleeping'. It was more or less just relaxing, but he was never unaware of what was going on. In this case, there wasn't much going on. At the moment he was listening to several choruses of snoring, Kuwabara muttering unintelligible things in his sleep, and the other sounds of the nightlife outside the small, cramped hut. All in all, it was very peaceful, something he was certainly not used to.

Perhaps that was the cause of his uneasiness. 

He really wasn't worried about these new people. He had nothing to worry about from them. He could sense their distrust and certainly didn't trust them either, as he trusted no one, but he wasn't there to fight with them. He was there to do as Koenma ordered and then go back, just as the others were. It was a job. 

Still, it was rather boring just sitting around, and it was hard to fight the urge to do his own exploring. This new world was somewhat fascinating. Once he was sure everyone was asleep, he stalked away as quietly as possible and ventured out of the village. He would be back shortly, before the others discovered him missing. Even if they did, it didn't matter; they knew he would be back.

Leaping gracefully into a tree, he viewed the countryside. Even he had to admit that this place was beautiful. Looking around, he could see nothing but trees and open land highlighted by the luminescent moon, all uninhibited by the ugly construction of humans. It reminded him sharply of the demon world. The aura of the forest was perfectly visible; it was the same aura of the tree at the Higurashi shrine. He wondered why he hadn't noticed it the night before. He frowned, trying to remember what the old man had told them about that tree. Something about a half-demon and a priestess…Hiei hadn't paid much attention.

"It's quite breathtaking at night."

The voice that came out of nowhere startled Hiei to the point that his fighting reflex almost kicked in. His hand went to the hilt of his sword, and he looked down at the ground…only to find the monk standing there, his gaze also on the forest where its aura glowed against the dark sky. Hiei eyed him suspiciously, wondering why he had followed him out of the village. It took him a moment to realize that the monk had actually spoken to him. 

Miroku spoke again. "The aura of the forest, I mean. It's a sight to behold at any time, but in the morning, before the sun rises, it looks haunting and beautiful at the same time. Sometimes it's hard to see at night, depending on the energy in the air, but right now it's very bright."

Hiei said nothing, turning his gaze once again to the forest. Miroku looked up at the silent figure. Hiei was the quiet one. He'd said all of two words since his group had arrived the day before. Miroku really wasn't sure how safe it was to be following him, but he'd been curious as to where he was going. He supposed that if they were going to be working together with these people to defeat Naraku, it wouldn't hurt to find out a few things on his own.

"You're Hiei, right?" Miroku asked. Hiei nodded in reply. "Can I ask what kind of demon you are?"

Silence. Miroku wondered if he'd even heard him. But finally Hiei spoke, the tone of his voice sounding forced.

"Fire demon," he replied shortly.

"Oh, an element? It doesn't surprise me, though I would have guessed ice..."

Hiei bristled. "What is that supposed to mean?" 

Miroku chuckled. "Or perhaps not."

At this point, Hiei was fighting the urge to rip this guy apart. "What do you want?"

Miroku shrugged. "Just to talk. Doesn't hurt, does it? Since we're going to be working together and all."

"I'm just here to do my job."

Somehow, Miroku wasn't surprised by his answer. "That's probably best," he replied. "Developing attachments is hard in the long run. Once this journey is over and Naraku is defeated, what then? I'll be alone again, most likely."

"Then why even bother?"

Miroku scratched his wrist, the prayer beads jingling. "I can't defeat Naraku on my own."

Hiei eyed the monk, noting the despair in his voice, though he was trying his damnedest not to be interested in what he was saying. It wasn't like he had anything to do with it. He didn't need to hear anyone's problems. Instead he found himself asking, "What will happen if you don't defeat this Naraku?"

Miroku sighed. "There is a void in my hand, passed down from my grandfather, who received the same void from Naraku's curse. It will eventually kill me, unless I destroy Naraku to remove the curse."

"Mmm…" was all the reply he got. A moment later, Hiei asked, changing the subject, "The aura of the forest is from the tree. Do you know the story of that tree?"

Miroku was confused. "Tree?" And then he remembered. "Oh, you mean _that_ tree. Of course, I know its story well. It's the tree where Inuyasha was sealed by Lady Kikyou's arrow."

Hiei's eyebrow rose in question. "Inuyasha? That dog demon? So…he has a story like that. I remember hearing that a priestess freed him…a reincarnation of the one who sealed him."

Miroku smiled. "That would be Lady Kagome. She didn't know what she was getting herself into."

Hiei looked thoughtful. "So she's a reincarnation of a priestess, is she? That explains a lot…"

Miroku looked up at him, curious. "What do you mean?"

Hiei briefly recalled the great holy power that he'd sensed in her when she had stared him eye-to-eye and not looked away from his gaze. Not many people existed that could seal away any demon, be it half or full. He had yet to see her power for himself, but he knew it was there. 

He shrugged, indifferent. "Nothing important."

***

Early the next morning, after finally deciding who would travel with whom, the two groups were finally going their separate ways. To everyone's extreme shock and awe, Yusuke insisted on traveling with Inuyasha. The reason?

"So I can see what kind of power this bony runt really has."

To which Inuyasha offered his snarling reply of, "I'm sure MY power has a whole lot more on your little flashlight attacks."

This arguing would have gone on forever if Kagome hadn't calmly threatened to say 'the word'. Inuyasha immediately stopped whatever insult he'd been about to throw at Yusuke and began sulking. Yusuke smirked.

Kagome, of course, would be going with Inuyasha. "We also need someone who can see the Shikon shards and sense their aura to be in the other group," she said. "Do any of you have this ability?"

Kuwabara scratched his head. "I think I do, but I don't know how well I can sense them, since I'm not familiar with their aura. Maybe with practice?"

"That will have to be good enough," she replied. "Thank you. Miroku, Sango, would you travel with him?"

Both nodded. Kurama moved to stand with Kuwabara. "I'll also go with him." 

Shippou immediately offered to go with that group.. 

That left Botan and Hiei to travel with Kagome, Inuyasha, and Yusuke.

"All right, now that the groups are decided, I think there's something that those of you who haven't been here need to know," Kagome stated, gathering everyone around her. "The thing of it is, we don't know where Naraku is. Inuyasha and his brother fought with Naraku about a week ago, and after that, Naraku disappeared. His aura seems to have vanished, and since then, demons have been popping up out of nowhere, because they think Naraku is gone. However, we know he's not. He may have gone somewhere where we can't sense it from here. So it's up to us to find out his location. In the meantime, the demons are going to be particularly vicious, so be cautious. To start with, I've packed both of our groups enough supplies that should last for about two weeks. If you run low on supplies or end up in a scrape and need to come back here to rest, don't hesitate to do so. In fact, let's all meet back here at the village in two weeks and compare notes, so to speak. Sound okay with you?"

Everyone nodded. 

She smiled. "Good. Okay, I think that my group will head north, towards the mountains. You all head south. Be careful!"  
  


In the meantime, Kaede had wandered out of her hut to see who would be traveling with whom as they talked amongst themselves, discussing the direction each one would go. She looked both groups over. Kagome would obviously have her hands full with Inuyasha and Yusuke constantly fighting like children. But at least she would have the blue-haired girl, who seemed very nice. And the fire demon seemed, at least, to not cause any trouble at the moment.

Miroku, Sango, and Shippou would be fine. Kuwabara and Miroku seemed to have much in common, in Kaede's opinion. And Kurama would be a good role model for Shippou. Kaede could already see the hopefulness in Shippou's eyes; it had been there ever since it was mentioned that Kurama was a fox demon. Having lost his parents, Shippou needed something familiar to them, and perhaps Kurama could be that something. 

As they left, Kaede wished both groups the best of luck and they both went separate directions, each waving goodbye to the other, each wondering if they'd ever see those familiar faces again.

***

As they walked in silence, Kurama found himself lost in thought. Like Hiei, he was sharply reminded of the demon world as he gazed at the countryside. All was calm, but with the unsettling sense that danger could erupt at any second. No humans that he could see, aside from the three that traveled with him. Kuwabara seemed also lost in thought. Briefly Kurama wondered what was bothering him, but decided to wait until later to ask. 

The young fox demon, Shippou, rode on Miroku's shoulders. Every now and then, he would look back at Kurama, and then look away. Kurama noticed this, but tried not to pay attention to it. He had other things on his mind at the moment.

He knew Yusuke was angry with him for taking over, but it had been imperative that they join this group of people. He couldn't have told Yusuke that, because he'd been given strict orders from Koenma not to tell Yusuke the particulars of this mission. Kurama himself wasn't completely sure of the particulars, himself, but it didn't matter. It was just something else he had to hide from Yusuke that Kurama didn't agree with, but he had no choice. He had to ensure that Koenma's plan was carried out; otherwise they would not be able to return to their time.

And Kurama didn't want to stay in the Feudal Era any longer than he had to. 

Of course Koenma hadn't told him that they'd be going back in time, to the Feudal Era of all time periods to be in. Why would he, when Kurama knew that he would have refused, even at the risk of angering Koenma? He'd only told Kurama that should they meet a group of people consisting of a white-haired dog demon and a powerful priestess, that they were to travel with these people and help them in their quest. This, Koenma said, would ensure that the jewel shards were gathered together, and at the end of the quest, they were to destroy the completed jewel. Kurama hadn't expected to meet this group of people so soon on the mission, but it was more than likely that Koenma had known it would happen.

And now he was here, stuck in the Feudal Era, with no way of returning. He had no choice but to play along and get the job done as fast as possible. Sighing, he rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. He wondered if Kagome had packed any pain pills in her supply case, which Kuwabara was carrying on his back. 

But he didn't have time to ask, because no sooner did the thought pass through his mind, he was jolted out of his thoughts by a loud **SLAP** and a yelp from Miroku.

"Damn perverted monk!" Sango was yelling. Kurama and Kuwabara both stared at them in shock. 

Kurama turned to Kuwabara. "Why did she just slap him? I obviously missed something."

Kuwabara was blushing. "He…just groped her butt. Out of nowhere!"

Kurama blinked. "He did?"

Shippou had jumped down from Miroku's shoulders to miss accidentally getting slapped by Sango. He hopped over to Kurama and said, "They always do this. He's perverted, and likes groping Sango's butt. It's some weird thing with them."

"Oh. I see."

Kuwabara stretched his arms over his head, yawning. "Man, I'm tired. I didn't think walking this much would wear you out; we haven't really even gone that far."

"We'll be walking quite a bit," Kurama replied. "I'm a bit tired, too…I didn't exactly sleep that much."

"Yeah, me neither. It's kinda weird here…like a volcano before it erupts, you know what I mean?"

"I know exactly what you mean."

At this point it became apparent that they were by themselves. Shippou had run ahead to rejoin Sango and Miroku, who were standing off in the distance, waiting on them. They looked somewhat impatient. Kuwabara sighed as the two of them started walking again. "I don't know if I'll get used to this anytime soon."

"Hang in there. I'm sure it won't take as long as it seems."

"Still, two weeks? How long do you think Koenma wants us to be here?"

"However long it takes."

Kuwabara thought of Yukina and already felt a pang of regret. Maybe he should have stayed…but then again, she would be there when he returned. What exactly were they trying to do here, anyway? Change the past? How could they change the past? What exactly did Koenma want them to change? Kuwabara was pretty confused, and had the distinct feeling that Kurama held most of the answers. 

"Hey," he said, making sure Sango and Miroku were out of hearing distance as they walked. "What do you think Koenma really sent us here for?"

"I already told you."

Kuwabara thought that it sounded like there was much more to it, but said nothing more. He tried to concentrate on the scenery around him rather than the ache in the backs of his legs, the weight of the bag he carried. He tried to push Yukina's face out of his mind, as thinking about her only made him want to see her more.

It had taken all he had to not to demand to return when it became obvious that they were going to be there awhile. He couldn't believe he was going along with this…but really he had no choice. It had been his decision to come. And now he was in this strange world in the past where he could just _feel_ the monsters lurking, waiting to attack at any second. He now knew why his spirit abilities had felt like they'd been heightened when he'd first arrived.

The demons in the human world in this era were everywhere, like an infestation of them. He could sense it in the air, the demonic energy, so powerful and thick it almost made him feel like he was choking. It was exactly like being in the demon world. Even though they'd only fought Sensui, he'd never shaken that feeling of being surrounded by millions of other beasts, just lurking in the darkness waiting to attack. This place was like that. Walking through the countryside, everything looked peaceful, serene…and he was scared.

Still, he at least wasn't forced to travel alone with people he didn't know. They seemed ok. He wasn't sure he wanted to adjust to this place, or these people, but if he had to, he was going to make himself. He was just tired, achy, and wanted something to drink. He wished he'd brought water bottles or something. 

A loud rumble and the ground vibrating underneath him quickly brought him out of his thoughts. He looked around, fighting the urge to panic. "What is that?!" he shouted. Kurama was also looking around, just as startled as he was. Miroku and Sango, on the other hand, looked poised for battle.

"Where's it coming from?" Miroku asked Sango. 

She pointed to the left. "Over there." Shippou ran behind her, ducking for cover.

"What's going on?" Kuwabara asked again.

"Get ready," Sango replied, her hand on the large boomerang she carried. "It's a large one."

"Large WHAT?!" At this point Kuwabara was exasperated that he wasn't getting a straight answer, but then it hit him. 

Almost literally.

He didn't have time to get an answer as a…_thing_…that looked like a massive insect came barreling out of the woods, sending dirt and debris flying in their direction. Something hit Kuwabara in the head and he staggered back, stunned. "W-what the hell is **_that_**?"

"Centipede demon," Sango replied casually. To her, it should have been obvious. 

Kurama had his rose whip out in no time. Kuwabara recovered from his dazed state in time to ignite his spirit-sword…only to see Sango launch her boomerang and cut it in half with one swoop. The thing fell dead to the ground as Sango caught her weapon in mid-air and landed on the ground. Miroku and Shippou applauded.

Kuwabara gaped in awe. 

Kurama smiled and tucked the rose behind his ear, the red petals disappearing into his hair. "Well done," he commented. "That's quite a weapon."

"It serves its purpose," she replied. "Come on, let's hurry on in case there's more around."

They continued walking in silence, the air seeming to be very thick. It was quite uncomfortable for all of them, especially Shippou, who was used to the light, easy banter between his normal travel companions. It was obvious that no one knew what to say. Shippou took it upon himself to start a conversation. He hopped on Kurama's shoulder, startling him.

"You don't care if I ride on your shoulder, do you?" Shippou asked.

Kurama wanted to say he did care, but he really didn't. "No, I suppose not," he replied, and said nothing else. Shippou looked disappointed, but didn't let that get him down.

"So, can you guys fight pretty well?"

"We do what we can," Kurama said. "I suppose you could say we fight well."

"Really, what kind of weapon do you use?"

"Whip."

Shippou didn't find it very impressive. "A whip? I don't see you carrying one?"

Kurama stopped and pulled out the rose from behind his ear. He held it out in front of him and waved it to one side, transforming it into the whip. Shippou was amazed. "How do you do that?"

"Demon magic," Kurama replied, returning the whip to its rose form and tucking it back behind his ear. "I can control plants using magic. I can also turn my hair into thorns."

Shippou was a bit more impressed. "I can't wait to see that," he said. Then he turned to look at Kuwabara. "So, where's your weapon?"

Kuwabara shrugged. "I use a spirit-sword."

Shippou was confused. "I don't see you carrying a sword."

"I can't use it unless I'm actually in a battle. It would be a waste of energy."

"I don't get it."

"You will. You'll see the next time we fight something."

Shippou seemed satisfied with that answer, and tried to think of something else to talk about. 

At that point Miroku yawned and stopped. "It's getting late. Why don't we rest here for the night?"

Everyone agreed, and a fire was started. The group sat in silence, watching the flames, while they munched on some of the snacks that Kagome had packed for them. Each of them were lost in their own thoughts, and like before, the air between them all was awkward. It was about to drive Shippou nuts, but he kept his mouth shut. He had to admit that even having Inuyasha chase him around would have been better than this. 

Finally Kurama spoke. "Hiei mentioned this morning that you told him something interesting about the tree in the forest where we came out of the well," he said to Miroku. "I'm interested to know more about this tale. Is it true that the girl, Kagome, is a reincarnation of the priestess Kikyo?"

"Indeed."

Kuwabara was interested. "Kikyo? Where have I heard that name before?"

"History books, perhaps," Kurama replied. "She was a priestess that lived right around this era, although I imagine she's dead now if Kagome is her reincarnation…right?"

Miroku coughed. "Yes and no. She was brought back to life. A sad, unfortunate experience for her, I'm afraid. She parted this world in extreme hatred of Inuyasha. His was the last face on her mind as she died, and the moment she opened her eyes as a construct of bone and earth, there he was. Naught but her hatred for him sustains her now, though I must say she is an intriguing one. Sometimes I don't know if she's out to destroy Naraku or help him."

Miroku told them the story of the situation between Kikyo and Inuyasha, then of her rebirth, as told to him by Kagome. He recalled the incidents in which she gave the Shikon jewel to Naraku, as well as others which made them wonder which side she was really on, if any.

"Hers is a tragic story," Kurama noted. "I wonder if we'll meet up with her during our travels."

"I'm sure, though she tends to turn up sometimes to dissuade Inuyasha from whatever he's doing at the moment. If any group sees her first, it will be his group."

"Does Inuyasha still care for her, then, even though she tried to kill him and sealed him to that tree?"

"It would seem so," Sango said. "It's very sad for Kagome. It's so obvious, though, that he cares deeply for Kagome, as well. He seems devoted to both, but then again, I don't really think Inuyasha knows what he's doing. He's a complicated person."

Kurama smiled slightly. "Yes he does seem that way. He seems very gung-ho."

Miroku and Sango both laughed. "You have no idea," Miroku said.

Kurama chuckled. "Interesting, though, is the power of that sword he wields. How did he come across a weapon like that?"

"It was his father's," Shippou interjected. "I wasn't around when he found the sword, but Kagome told me that he and his brother fought over the sword on their father's grave. Inuyasha cut his brother's arm off. I would've liked to have been around to see that!"

"What kind of demon is his brother?" Kuwabara asked.

"Inuyasha's brother is full-demon, and not nearly as agreeable as Inuyasha…if that's saying anything," Miroku said with a smirk. "He is quite powerful, though."

Kurama was still interested in hearing about Kikyo. He had heard about her before, and not in history books. "The priestess Kikyo…does she still have her holy powers?"

"Of course," Miroku replied. "No, death hasn't taken them away from her. She is still quite powerful."

Sango noticed the look on Kurama's face and wondered why he looked so uneasy. "Are you worried that she'll attack you?"

"No, it's not that…I'm really not worried about seeing her…it's very complicated," he said, looking away. "It's no big deal, I suppose."

After that, the air became tensed again, as they could see that Kurama was clearly troubled by something. Night had fallen. Eyes kept drooping, and it was decided to get some sleep, Miroku announcing that they would get an early start the next morning. As dreams overtook them, they wondered how the other group was doing, and if Yusuke and Inuyasha had managed to get along at all. 

* * *

A/N (continued): Whew! I hope this chapter moved the story forward a little, if not the next one will. Next chapter will be focusing on the other group and Kouga may show up! I've also decided (roughly) on romantic pairings, but I'm going to wait awhile to release that information. You'll find out soon enough. I'm sure some of you won't be happy with me, but I can't please everyone. By the way, I have to say thanks to everyone who has reviewed. I'm glad so many people like this fic! Keep reviewing! 


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I must say this was a fun chapter to write. Kouga makes a comeback! The insanity, I tell you! I guess that's all I have to say at the moment. Thanks so much for the reviews! 

Chapter 8 - Competition 

Three days had passed since the two groups split their separate ways. On the third day, the tension in the air had lessened to be not quite as intolerable, which was good to a certain extent. Kagome had come to the conclusion that if she ever in the distant future decided to have children, she did not want boys. The male gender had already caused her, in the last three days, more headaches than she ever wanted to endure. She hadn't thought that there was anyone even remotely as arrogant and obscenely self-assured as Inuyasha…and she was wrong.

Yusuke Urameshi. He was, as she'd come to find out, half-demon as well, though he had mentioned that his lineage was quite complicated. He wasn't exactly sure how he received his demon powers, but he was still of demon blood. At any rate, she had originally hoped that it would give Inuyasha someone to identify with. An equal, so to speak. Somehow she had thought that having an equal would do him good, since he seemed to consider humans and practically everyone else 'below' him and his 'superior' strength. She hadn't had a problem with this fact, except that he had that tendency to be an obnoxious jerk most of the time. However, yet again, she was wrong.

It was obvious that having an equal was **not** what Inuyasha wanted. Yusuke didn't seem to care; he went along with Inuyasha's taunts, clearly enjoying himself by showing up the dog demon, and clearly **not** viewing Inuyasha as an equal. It was annoying the living hell out of the Inuyasha, and while it was humorous at first, Kagome was getting sick of it. She could tell the other two were as well, even though Hiei hadn't spoken more than two words. It was just getting ridiculous.

It was a constant thing now, and Kagome could tell that it wouldn't ever end no matter how long they traveled together. On the third day, they had stumbled upon a particularly rabid and aggressive demon, during which Botan had been scraped up a bit, but there were no serious injuries. While trying to subdue the beast, Inuyasha had been trying desperately to keep up with Yusuke's spirit-gun attacks with Tetsusaiga's 'Wind Scar' attack, but he had not found a perfect opportunity to fire it off without hurting one of his own team in the process. Finally he had resorted to his blood claws, which had little to no effect. The only thing keeping his spirits up was the fact that Yusuke's spirit-gun attacks also weren't causing a lot of damage.

Unfortunately, the longer it took to subdue the demon, the angrier it got. It somehow managed to get away from the two fighting it…and had decided that Botan looked like a good target. The terrified girl had run as fast as she could, screaming. 

"Botan!" Yusuke yelled. "What are you doing?!"

"I'M RUNNING YOU IDIOT!" she called back, and narrowly missed getting her head ripped off, but not before the demon's claw grazed her back. She yelped in pain but somehow managed to keep running.

"Inuyasha, get her out of there!" Kagome yelled. "Don't just stand there!"

Inuyasha took that chance to use his blood claws one more time, this time aiming for its eyes. It squealed in protest, momentarily blinded while Inuyasha grabbed Botan and got her out of harm's way. Yusuke had recognized the opportunity, when the demon was confused. He focused a great amount of strength and energy into one shot, obliterating the beast in an instant. 

Kagome was speechless. How could one person be able to use so much spirit energy at once? And how, if he was half-demon, was he able to fuse holy energy with demon energy? Kagome was amazed, and she had to admit she was a little put off with Yusuke's power…but she was glad. He would be of tremendous help against Naraku.

Inuyasha, however, didn't see it that way. Once he regained his voice, he started sulking, accusing Yusuke of trying to show him up. Yusuke couldn't deny it.

"That's the third one now," Yusuke replied calmly, saying nothing else. It was all about the competition. Inuyasha was fuming: he had only killed two.

Kagome just wanted them to shut up about it. Competition was fine, but she was convinced that if they ran out of things to kill, the two of them would go _looking_ for things to kill. That would only end up with trouble finding _them_, and she didn't want that.

They hadn't come to a village in the course of three days, and decided that evening to set up camp in the woods. Sitting around the fire, watching the sun disappear over the horizon, Kagome cleaned the wound on Botan's back, the other girl still silent and lost in thought. The group was silent, until Yusuke decided to break the tension with some conversation.

"So…Kagome, how did you end up in this time?"

"It's a really long and complicated story," she said. "But I suppose we aren't in any hurry."

And so she explained that day when the vengeful centipede demon had pulled her into the well at her family's shrine and she had crawled out of the well…to end up in Feudal Japan, where she discovered Inuyasha pinned to the tree. She told them how she had been the one to split the Shikon jewel into several shards, and that Kaede had convinced her and Inuyasha to travel together to find the shards. She declined in telling much about Inuyasha's dealings with Kikyo, deciding to let him tell that part if he so desired. She did tell them that she was the reincarnation of Kikyo, and that Kikyo had been reborn but was technically undead.

"We may very well run into Kikyo," Kagome warned, glancing at Inuyasha, who said nothing. "If that happens…well, we'll just see."

Yusuke, Botan, or Hiei didn't miss the look on Kagome's face as she glanced at the half-demon. Yusuke stared at the two of them and raised an eyebrow. "I take it there's a lot of…unresolved issues there."

"That's an understatement," Kagome replied with a bitter smirk.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Feh."

Kagome bristled. "What is THAT supposed to mean, Inuyasha?"

Any smart man would have lied and said "Nothing." Even Yusuke knew this, though he would be the first one to admit that he wasn't very smart. And it was clear that Inuyasha wasn't very smart, either…at least where it came to Kagome.

Because his reply was to stand up and practically shake his clawed fist at her, yelling, "It MEANS that what happens between me and Kikyo isn't anyone's business but mine!"

She was on her feet in an instant, shouting back at him, her finger pointing directly in his face. "Oh REALLY? So does that mean you hide things from me, too? Just what exactly have you hidden from me?"

"I haven't hidden anything from you!"

"Oh yeah? Well then why are you getting so defensive about it?"

"I'm getting defensive because it's none of their business?"

"How about me? Is it none of my business, too?"

Inuyasha growled. "Dammit, woman, why can't you just drop it? Do we have to talk about this now?"

The arguing continued for several minutes. Botan and Yusuke glanced at each other and shrugged, deciding to leave well enough alone. Hiei couldn't help but be slightly amused at their carrying on, but of course he didn't let that show on his face, which he kept as stoic as ever. He was also still trying to remember where he'd heard the name Naraku before, and hadn't paid the rest of the group much attention at all. Not that he really cared what they did; he just happened to be traveling with them.

Finally Botan raised her hand and cleared her throat in an attempt to stop another war from going much further. "Do you think the two of you kind of tone it down? What if you attracted unwanted visitors? Like more of those demons from earlier…"

They stared at her, a surprised look on their faces. Kagome sighed. "I guess we were being pretty loud."

Inuyasha lifted his head in the air, sniffed, and began growling deep in his throat. "Speaking of unwanted visitors," he mumbled.

Yusuke was about to ask what Inuyasha meant when Kagome gasped and announced, "Shikon shards, coming this way…fast!"

Not two seconds later, a loud voice rang out, "KAGOME!!!"

All anyone could see was a cloud of dust moving rapidly towards Kagome. It dissipated abruptly and standing in the midst of flying dirt, stood a well-muscled man who was holding Kagome's hands in his and looking at her with an adoring expression. He had black hair, some sort of fur as armor, and….

"A tail?" Botan asked, squinting to see clearly through all the dirt.

"WOLF! What are you doing here?"

Kouga ignored Inuyasha, who was clenching his fist and trying to get Kouga's attention. Instead, Kouga produced a small bouquet of wild flowers and handed them to Kagome. 

"Kagome! How have you been without me? Come on, let's get away from here and go look for Naraku on our own!"

"Um, Kouga, I can't leave our new friends…" Kagome said nervously, glancing at them apologetically, trying to smooth things over before Inuyasha began trying to pull the wolf apart. She gestured to the three people standing to one side, two of which looked very confused. "Besides, it's almost night, and we're tired. We've been traveling all day."  
  


"Oh." Kouga stared at the new people and asked, "Who are they?"

"They're also going to help us find Naraku," Kagome replied. 

Kouga scoffed. "Come with me and I'll kill Naraku way before this dog crap finds him." He then noticed the scents of the new companions she was traveling with; interesting enough was the fact that two of these new people smelled demon. Before Inuyasha could reply to his insult, Kouga went over to Hiei and sniffed. Affirmative…this one was definitely demon. 

Hiei stared back at Kouga with a slightly annoyed expression as Kouga folded his arms across his chest and stared back. "You…why are you traveling with Kagome?"

Hiei shrugged. "What does it matter to you?"

"It matters because you're traveling with my woman," Kouga replied. 

"I have no interest in 'your woman'…"

"Oh? Well you'd better not."

Hiei snorted. "Hn. Perhaps you are talking to the wrong one…I think you should be talking to _him_." He pointed at Inuyasha, who was already looking quite furious.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha snarled. "Kagome's not my woman, either."

Kagome looked hurt for a moment, and then huffed, turning away and folding her arms across her chest. "Why would I want to be? Maybe I **_will_** go with Kouga."

"WHAT?!"

Kouga looked positively overjoyed by this. He immediately rushed back to her and clasped both of her hands in his. "Let's go, then, Kagome!" 

"W-wait, Kouga, I –"

She didn't get a chance to finish her protest before Kouga picked her up in his arms and raced off, Inuyasha screaming at him to put her down. Enraged, Inuyasha pulled Tetsusaiga from its sheath and yelled, "THAT IS IT! I'm going to kill you for real this time, wolf!"

"Catch me first, dog crap!"

And the chase was on. Inuyasha ran after them, screaming at Kouga to put her down, while the wolf had since left a trail of dust behind him. All the rest of them could see was a furious dog demon chasing after a rapidly disappearing whirlwind. The three of them looked at each other, wondering what in the world had just happened.

"Who…who was that?" Botan asked, stunned. "And where did they go?"

Yusuke chuckled. "It seems that Inuyasha has competition."

Hiei sniffed and said, "More wolves, coming this way."

Indeed, they all turned to see the rest of Kouga's pack, two wolf demons followed by a band of wolves, running towards them, short of breath and looking very annoyed. "Kouga!" one cried. "He left us again!"

They stopped when they realized that neither Inuyasha nor Kagome were standing there…and there were three new people staring at them. "Who are you guys?" Yusuke asked. "You know that Kouga guy?"

The two wolf demons blinked. "So he was here," one of them said, sounding defeated.

"Kagome and Inuyasha were here, too," the other one added, sniffing the air. "Where did they go?"

Botan pointed in the direction. "They went that way. Kouga took off with Kagome and Inuyasha went after them."

They gasped, shocked. "Damn! We don't have time for another fight to break out!" 

"We'd better go. Come on, Ginta."

Yusuke sighed as they watched the wolves run after the dissipating cloud of dust left by Kouga the Whirlwind. "I wonder if it would even be worth it to follow them."

Botan shrugged. "Hiei already left."

"What? When?"

"With the wolves. He will most likely beat them to the others, but still, it's odd. He's acting differently, don't you think?"

Yusuke shrugged. "Not really. He's the same old Hiei, all the personality of cardboard and then WHAM, he surprises you."

***

Kagome wanted to kick herself. She'd only intended to make Inuyasha mad by saying that…obviously because he had made _her_ mad. She hadn't expected Kouga to suddenly kidnap her. _Way to go, Kagome_, she thought. _You have succeeded in screwing up yet again. _

She sighed. "Kouga, put me down."

"No way, you said you wanted to go with me!"

"No I didn't, I said I _might_ go with you."

He grinned down at her. "Well, I just made up your mind for you. You're better off with me, anyway."

"Kouga…please put me down. I have to go back to the others."

"Nope."

She sighed again, frustrated. Obviously talking wasn't doing much good…it NEVER did, not where the male gender was concerned. She took a deep breath and shoved against his chest hard, surprising him and relaxing his hold enough to where she could push herself out of his arms…and landed hard on the ground, nearly causing him to trip over her. 

"Oomph!" She rubbed her backside, wincing. "Owww…maybe that wasn't such a good idea."

Kouga came back to her, standing over her with a scolding look on his face. "Of course it wasn't such a good idea. Now dog crap will catch up to us." He was about to pick her up again when his nose caught a familiar scent in the air. He tensed, and a second later, ducked. The air zinged as Inuyasha swung Tetsusaiga with the intent of cutting off Kouga's head, and missed it by a fraction.

Kouga jumped several feet away, grinning. "What took you so long?"

"Damn you, wolf, Kagome isn't going anywhere with you!"

"Of course she is. She wants to go with me. She just said so back at your camp."

"That's not what I said!" Kagome yelled. "Would you people stop putting words in my mouth?"

"I don't care if you do want to go with him, I'm not letting you," Inuyasha snarled.

She felt like pulling her hair out. "That is NOT what I said! And I only said that because you were being a jerk!"

"How was I being a jerk?!"

"Oh forget it!" She stood up and began stalking away. "I'm going back to camp, and I don't want EITHER of you to tell me what I am or am not going to do!"

"Wait, Kagome!" both said in unison, then glared at each other. "You stay away from her, wimpy wolf," Inuyasha snarled.

"Go to hell," Kouga snarled in reply. "She deserves better than you."

"Shut up!" Enraged, Inuyasha lunged at the wolf, sword raised. Kouga dodged Inuyasha's attack easily, leaping again to one side, and taking off again before Inuyasha realized he was aiming at nothing but thin air. Kouga raced after Kagome's retreating form, fully intending to snatch her again and keep the game going as long as she would let him…and nearly ran into a silent black figure blocking his path. 

"What's the big idea?!" Kouga snarled at the fire demon. "What do you think you're doing?"

Hiei stared at him. "I don't believe that she wants to go with you."

"What do you care?" Kouga argued. "And get out of my way." He moved to the left, then to the right, trying to get around Hiei, not really wanting to get into a fight, since the longer he took, the farther away Kagome would be. Surprisingly, the little demon was as fast as he was.

"No," Hiei replied.

Kouga laughed. "Want a fight, do you? Don't bother, you wouldn't last two seconds against me."

Hiei only smirked, his hand moving to the hilt of his sword. Kouga took that as an invitation and flexed his claws. "Ok, half-pint, don't say I didn't warn you. No one gets in between me and Kagome, not even that dog!"

Said dog demon had come upon the two and had stopped to watch what was going on. That small fire demon was blocking Kouga's path to Kagome. Inuyasha couldn't help but want to see what Hiei would do, and if Kouga would tear him apart. He felt a small amount of indignation at the fact that his fight had been taken away from him, but he could overlook it for now. He could even overlook Kouga's words for the moment, vowing to get him for it later. Really this whole fight had been stupid, even he knew that, but he still had the issue of pride to think about. Kagome debasing him like that was unnecessary…even if he might have been a _jerk_, as she put it. Feh. Silly woman.

Inuyasha watched as Kouga made the first strike, attempting to rip at Hiei with his claws. The small demon moved deftly to avoid it, his sword drawn. Kouga sliced at him again, but Hiei blocked the attacks with the blade. Kouga could see that his defense was perfect despite his small size, so he attempted a surprise attack. That, of course, was in vain, as Hiei could clearly see the wolf's fast movements. Kouga had attempted to zip around to behind the fire demon and catch him off-guard. Hiei met him evenly with a swift swipe of his sword, catching Kouga on the arm. Kouga cried out and clutched his arm.

"Shit," he cursed. "You're a fast bastard." He then leaped into the air as fast as he could, wondering if the little twerp could pick up his movements if he used the wind to help him. He then brought his leg down, aiming a forceful kick at his head, but instead his foot slammed into the ground. Hiei had moved several feet away in an instant, staring at him from a crouched position on the ground. He looked ready to strike at any second.

Kouga smirked, wincing slightly at the pain in his arm, and decided that this could probably wait until later. He really needed to get back to his pack despite the fact that he had been willing to play around and annoy Kagome's group longer, and he had a feeling that a fight with this little punk could last longer than expected. How could he see his movements so well? Kouga knew he was fast…but this guy was faster. Not many opponents could have injured him so soon in the game. 

"Heh," Kouga laughed, and straightened his back, folding his arms across his chest. "My fight isn't with you, anyway, half-pint. Till next time!" Without another word, he sped off, leaving a trail of dust behind him. Hiei sheathed his sword, a somewhat disappointed look on his face as Inuyasha approached him, the Tetsusaiga also sheathed.

"Hn. Pity he didn't stay," Hiei said quietly.

"He always runs off whenever he thinks he might lose," Inuyasha said. "He's a dumbass."

Hiei smirked. "I don't find him to be much of a problem. He could have fought longer if he wanted to."

"Feh! He always causes trouble, especially with Kagome."

Hiei said nothing.

Inuyasha stared at the fire demon, a questioning look on his face. "Why did you even pick a fight with him, anyway?"

Hiei shrugged. "He was annoying."

Inuyasha couldn't help but grin at that. It would seem he wasn't the only one who thought that of the wolf demon. 

At that point, he saw the other two from Kouga's pack running towards them. They stopped, huffing and puffing, trying to regain their breath. "Where's…Kouga?" they gasped. "You…didn't…kill him…did you?"

Inuyasha flexed his claws. "No but I will if he tries anything like that again…and he went that way." 

They nodded and quickly sped after their leader. Inuyasha shook his head. Why those two still followed Kouga was beyond him, when they were always so far behind. He supposed that was what being a team was all about…or something to that extent. At any rate, it would get annoying.

Inuyasha yawned. "Feh. I'm tired of this. Let's find Kagome and get back to the camp." 

* * *

And so ends chapter 8. Wrote it pretty fast, hope you liked. Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I know, I know, it's been a long time. Due in part mostly to a new job that I hate, my computer dying that took a month to repair, Final Fantasy X-2 being released, and other things that contributed to the general problem of not being able to write. So I sat down yesterday and tried to fight the mind block in my foggy brain and this is the result. I hope it's worth the wait. Thanks for the reviews everyone. Oh, I must add a note about the pairings. I'm sure there are some who will think this chapter is an indication of Kurama/Sango. It's not. I merely wanted to bring in poor Sango's thoughts, I've neglected her. Enjoy.

And I give up trying to think of chapter names. So henceforth the chapters will just be 'Chapter 9' and so on. I'm lazy like that.

Chapter 9 

The sun was at high noon, a beautiful day, as Sango noted to herself. Six days had passed since the beginning of their journey, and already the atmosphere was much lighter. During the first couple of days, she really hadn't trusted the two new people at all. She was not quick to trust anyone, let alone people who just came out of nowhere and practically invited themselves to join their group. Not to mention they had a jewel shard, and hadn't seemed in much of a hurry to contribute to the general cause. She didn't even know if they still knew the general cause…they just knew some guy named Naraku had the shards. At least that was what Kuwabara had said.

But they had eventually proved themselves useful in combat. Kuwabara's light sword and Kurama's skill with the 'rose whip' and plants were very impressive. Being a warrior she could not help but be interested in their different styles of fighting. They also worked as a team, and did not leave the rest of the group members unprotected. Both were quick to act if one of the other team members needed aid. Little by little, her trust in them was building, at least on the battlefield. She was starting to feel more at ease around them otherwise.

But she still could not stop herself from worrying about the other group. The one boy, Yusuke, seemed as reckless and arrogant as Inuyasha. The small fire demon, Hiei, looked like an explosion waiting to happen. His eyes, especially, looked dangerous. His small height made him less imposing but Sango knew that appearances were deceiving. He was quick and an agile fighter, she could tell. And she was certain he didn't miss even the slightest detail. Sango hoped that even Inuyasha wouldn't be taken by surprise should Hiei turn against them.

As of late she had been thinking about how much things had changed. Even before the new group of people had come, she had been wondering how things had ended up this way. All her life she had fought against demons and after the destruction of her village and the murder of her father and family, she found herself traveling with not one but _two_ demons. Granted Shippou was a child, but he was still a demon. Inuyasha had proven himself trustworthy, which had shaken her belief system dramatically. Believing in her own heart that all demons were evil, she had dealt with her doubts and finally decided that she could trust Inuyasha…but not completely. Never completely. She was always on her guard no matter what. Sometimes even humans weren't trustworthy, especially that perverted monk.

Did that mean they were her friends? Maybe, though the idea still made her a bit hesitant. Kagome was a friend. Miroku was annoying, though she had to fight to ignore the slight rush of heat in her cheeks whenever she caught him doing seemingly innocent things like just looking at her. Shippou was cute, though a little bit evil in his own way. Inuyasha had issues, and she didn't think he was very stable. It was because of that that Sango had a hard time truly relaxing around him. She had no problem admiring his strength and determination and she did not doubt that he meant well for the most part.

Though now she was no longer traveling with him. Shippou continued to tag along, but in place of Inuyasha was a new demon…in human form. This boy _looked_ completely human, but had confirmed that he was full demon. He had confirmed this again during battle. He fought viciously, without mercy. But even so, his face remained a sea of calm. He was poised, refined, reasonable, and perhaps even…_wise_. 

Sango was intrigued despite her misgivings.

Kurama had also said few words since the journey began and his face looked troubled at times. She still remembered the interest he'd had in Kikyou when they briefly discussed Inuyasha's past. She wondered if maybe he knew Kikyou. Sango personally thought Kikyou was bad news. The dead needed to stay dead, and she wished Inuyasha would find it in his heart to put the dead priestess to rest. But Kurama had had a terrible, haunted look in his eyes when he asked about her, as though he had encountered her in a not-so-pleasant way before. Could that have even been possible, since he'd come from Kagome's world? Sango was confused as to how he could have done that or what business he had with Kikyou. 

She didn't even know why she was thinking about someone she didn't even know. 

In fact, she had been so wrapped up in her thoughts, that she didn't notice the strange smell in the air until Kurama mentioned it.

"I smell something burning," he announced. 

She sniffed the air and grimaced. "Smoke. Not too far off."

"And blood," Kurama added. "The smell of burning flesh."

Miroku sighed, and caught Sango's look before shaking his head sadly. "No doubt a battle has been fought near here. It would be merciful to put the souls to rest. What do you think, Sango?"

Kuwabara interrupted before she could reply. "A battle? Is there a war going on?"

Kurama shook his head wearily and said, "Kuwabara, you do remember where we're at right? This is Japan…during the Feudal Era. Did you ever pay attention during history class?"

He frowned. "No…but I'm guessing the Feudal Era means a lot of fighting."

"Indeed," Miroku spoke up. "You're bound to see a lot of it. There's a lot of power to be gained when things are out of control and anyone will do anything to get control."

Sango nodded in agreement and decided to end the uncomfortable conversation by walking towards the smell. "At any rate," she said. "Let's get this over with." The rest followed. Kuwabara didn't look happy about the idea of viewing a bloody battle, but he followed anyway. 

***

"Not a battle," Kurama said quietly as they stood at the top of the hill, looking down upon the destruction. An entire village, destroyed. For the most part the fire had died, but it didn't look like there were any survivors.

No survivors. Hadn't that been his rule once upon a time? The ruthless killer and the destructive thief within him would have been pleased with this chaotic display. Youko Kurama would have taken a giant whiff of the air and sighed in rapture. _Ah, the fragrance of a clean swipe_, he would say. Kurama sometimes hated that voice.

The others, aside from Kuwabara, looked only mildly surprised that it wasn't the scene of a battle they'd found. It was true, as Miroku had said, apparently they had seen more than their fair share of horrific images like this. Kuwabara, on the other hand, looked stricken and deeply affected.

"I…I don't believe this…" he said softly. "Who would have done this?"

"It's hard to say," Sango replied. "It could have been anything from raiders to demons to an accident with a fireplace."

"I can't smell the presence of demons," Kurama said. He then looked down at Shippou, who had been quiet for a long time. "Do you sense anything, Shippou?"

The small demon looked surprised that Kurama had spoken to him directly. "N-no, not really."

"Kuwabara, do you sense any shards?"

"I can't tell…man this is terrible."

Miroku glanced at Sango, whose expression was pained. He knew she was remembering…and they were not happy memories. He sighed again and walked towards the destruction. "Well, first let's see if there are any survivors."

***

The smell was entirely too overwhelming for Kurama, who had to fight to gain control of his senses. He could tell Shippou had the same problem, for the little fox demon looked like he was going to be sick. The others were wrinkling their noses, but it didn't seem to be affecting them. It was unnatural, he thought, that smoke would affect him so much, and there was something odd about the smell in the air that he couldn't quite place. 

Then the group decided to split up and look for survivors among the rubble. He didn't see the point, as he couldn't see how anyone survived this, but he couldn't exactly refuse to look, either. He tried his best to shrug off the discomfort.

They dug through the destruction for hours to no avail. But then Shippou made a discovery.

"Look what I found!" he announced, running up to Kurama. He pulled on Kurama's pants leg and attempted to drag him in the direction he wanted Kurama to go. "I found something, you have to see this."

"What is it, Shippou?" Miroku asked, overhearing the young fox's declaration. But Shippou wasn't paying attention to him. Whatever he found, he only wanted Kurama to see. So Kurama allowed himself to be lead, with the rest following out of curiosity.

Shippou stopped in front of a pile of burned rubble that might have been a house at one point. He pointed his finger and said, "That's where the uncomfortable smell is coming from, the one that's making us feel sick. I could only get so close to it before I felt like I was going to faint."

Kurama could feel it, too, an oppressing scent, much like purification salts or incense, only tainted with demonic power. He turned to Miroku. "Can you look in that pile and see if you can find something?"

Miroku nodded, and then he and Sango pilfered through the rubble. Miroku frowned as his eyes caught something strange. 

"A flower?"

Kurama's eyes narrowed. "Let me see." 

Miroku pulled the object out of the pile and showed it to Kurama, who felt at once like he could pass out and was so angry he could barely see straight. The flower in question, though slightly charred, was hardly damaged enough to have been a normal plant. In the place where it was found it should have been disintegrated.

"I take it you know what it is," Miroku said, seeing the look on Kurama's face.

"I do. It's not exactly a flower known to humans. It's a plant grown by demons that are famous for their knowledge of demonic plants and herbs. Some are used for healing and others are used for destruction. This plant in particular is used essentially in fire spells and as a repellant, to sort of mark the attacker's territory."

"It's known as 'Impulse'," Sango added. Kurama looked at her in surprise, and she shrugged.

"I happen to know some of these things," she replied. "My people also used it to drive out demons from their hiding places. I couldn't tell you where to find it though."

Miroku rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Remember Jinenji?"

"Jinenji? Oh, yes, I remember, didn't we meet him? He had that herb garden. You don't think he could have done this, do you?"

"No, definitely not. But he might be able to tell us who would do something like this."

***

_The next day _

"So…where does Jinenji live again?" Miroku asked. "Wasn't it somewhere near here?"

"I thought so…" Sango replied, unsure.

They'd decided to investigate this incident a little further, by mutual consensus, of course, thinking that a small lead is better than no lead. And these days, a little vindication for the dead was necessary. However, Sango and Miroku were a little lost as to where Jinenji and his herb garden had been located.

Kurama was more than frustrated. He was all for finding some sort of revenge for the slaughter of an entire village of innocent people, even though he somehow doubted they'd find it. Or perhaps he was hoping they wouldn't. Terrible of him, he knew, but he had a terrible feeling about the direction this situation was taking, seemingly on its own.

Kuwabara, on the other hand, was hungry and didn't care where they went as long as they avoided future destroyed villages. It was bad enough that the humans were fighting silly wars, but there were rampant demons about. It was like the demon world had been set loose!

And then it hit him like a brick on the head. He remembered…hadn't Botan said something about the spirit world being gone? What if…

_There _was_ no demon world. _

He lost his appetite.

"Ah, there it is," Sango announced, and for a split-second Kuwabara thought she was talking about his appetite. Then he withdrew himself out of his unpleasant thoughts and looked to where she was pointing. Almost an entire hillside of garden lay spread out in front of them, and he knew they'd found the place.

Kurama was amazed. This Jinenji had to be very talented; the herbs looked like some of the best he'd ever seen.

They went to the house and knocked on the door, where the elderly woman opened it and peered out suspiciously. "Who are you?" she asked.

"We're friends of Kagome," Sango replied. "And Inuyasha. We came to talk to Jinenji."

Immediately Jinenji's face appeared in the doorway. "Where is Kagome?" he asked.

"She's not here," Miroku said. "She wanted to come, she said to tell you hello and she hopes you're doing well."

A crooked smile appeared on Jinenji's face. "She's ok isn't she?"

"Of course."

After initial greetings and introductions, Miroku got right down to the point. "Jinenji, do you know what this is?" He showed him the flower. 

Jinenji grimaced and seemed to back away a little, but it was not as affecting to him as it was to a full-demon. "It's 'Impulse'. I've only seen it once. Where did you find it?"

They explained to him about the destroyed village.

Jinenji was silent. Miroku prodded him a little further by asking, "Do you have any idea who would use this for such a thing?"

More silence. Finally Jinenji's mother said, "I don't think he's going to talk."

Finally the half-demon answered in an uncharacteristic small voice, "I didn't do it…"

They almost laughed at the sincerity in his voice. "No one thought you did," Miroku replied. "We weren't here to accuse you, Jinenji."

He seemed surprised. "You weren't?"

"Not at all."

His large blue eyes brightened. "I'm glad…"

Uneasy silence filled the room again and Miroku felt bad for pressing him. He hadn't meant to sound so harsh. Oh well, sometimes tact wasn't his thing.

Finally Kurama asked, "Like Miroku said, we didn't think you would do it. Basically we thought we'd ask you since you are into the plant business. Perhaps you know of some other demons or groups who would use the 'Impulse' plant."

Jinenji thought a moment. "I don't know if they use a lot of plants, but I do know a group of demons that just formed that are into a lot of trickery. They probably use some hallucination herbs and other things to rob people and plunder villages. It might have been them that destroyed that village. It's been happening all over, it happened in the nearby village recently, though not much was destroyed. Normally they don't destroy a whole village."

"Who are they?"

Jinenji shook his head. "I don't know."

"Do you have any idea where we might be able to find them?"

Again, he shook his head. "I'm sorry."

Miroku smiled. "Don't worry about it. We should probably be going now."

"Try asking the people in the nearby village what direction the demons went when they left. They may be able to give you some idea."

Everyone thanked the gentle half-demon and his mother and went on their way. The group was silent for the most part until Kuwabara mused, "He seemed really nice."

"Yes, Jinenji is a special case," Miroku said. "Half-demon, half-human, and not a violent bone in his body."

"Unlike Inuyasha," Sango noted. 

"But Inuyasha still means well," Miroku said. "He's just a little hot-headed."  
  


Shippou snorted. "A little? He's a bully!"

Miroku smiled. "Well, one can't blame him. He had to become the bully in order to stop being bullied." To Kurama and Kuwabara he explained, "In our world, half-demons are regarded poorly by both humans and demons. Inuyasha endured quite a bit in his childhood, I'm sure."

"That's gotta suck," Kuwabara replied. "I mean…Urameshi is a half-demon, I guess…but that really doesn't matter to me. He's still a crazy punk."

Sango and Miroku laughed. "That's a good way to look at it, I suppose," Sango said.

***

Later that evening, the group camped out in the woods again, since the village hadn't been of much help, and there really hadn't been any place to stay. Sitting around the campfire, it wasn't long before Sango and Miroku were asleep, and Shippou drifted off not long after. Kurama looked sleepy, but his eyes were staring blankly at the dancing flames, not really seeing them. Kuwabara took this chance to voice his thoughts and ask Kurama a few questions.

"Kurama…remember when Botan said that there wasn't a spirit world during this Era?"

"Yes."

"…Does that mean there's not a demon world, either."

Kurama looked surprised. "You're right…"

"That means all those demons…demons more powerful than Togorou…are running loose in the human world."

Kurama offered him a reassuring smile. "I don't think those are the kind of demons you're thinking about. Technically and from my own experience, those demons with that much power are the ones hiding behind a human face. They're more organized than just the regular vermin running around that attack mindlessly. They have their own groups. They have their own societies. There are the ones you have to worry about, of course, and I'm assuming this Naraku is one of them. But from what Kagome told me, Naraku is only part demon himself."

"Really? So there's a lot of half-demons in this Era. I guess they aren't so separate from humans after all."

"For the most part they are. But there are exceptions. Sometimes…sometimes it's best to stay separate. It saves a lot of pain afterwards."

"Right…" Kuwabara trailed off into his own thoughts and left many of his questions unspoken. Kurama wondered what he was thinking about and decided against asking.

---

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

Stay tuned and please review! 


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: There are a few developments in this one, though not as many as I had originally planned. This is one of those chapters that took over and wrote itself, pretty much. I had not had this in mind at all but I find that it will work so much better. I try to keep everyone in character, also, but forgive me if sometimes they go their own way. I can't control them. ^_^;;; Anyway, I guess there's not much else to say, but I will give a little preview for the next chapter: look for a new character to wreak havoc on Kurama's group. I call it Kurama's group, at least. Ok that said, enjoy chapter 10.

**Chapter 10**

Perhaps it was just her imagination, but Botan was beginning to believe that she was the only one who was having any sort of problem with this entire setup. 

For one, she was hot. Terribly hot, and she couldn't seem to stop sweating. It wasn't the weather, either; she felt as though she were burning up inside. Yet at the same time she felt cold, and couldn't explain it. She also ached from head to toe, and the nasty gash on her back didn't help matters. She felt sick. And she hated Koenma.

At first, she had been supportive of Koenma's decision to send her along with the Urameshi group; after all, they were constant entertainment and it gave her something to do. Normally their assignments were as dangerous at dangerous could be, but at least she had the option of returning to the spirit world and/or contacting Koenma in times of dire need. And she wasn't really a fighter, more like an onlooker or the information girl. The go-between. She was usually fine with that. She never complained…at least she didn't think so.

But this place was entirely different. This was the demon world unleashed, they had a super powerful demon with most of the Shikon jewel shards in his possession, and from what the others had said, he was a force to be reckoned with. They were supposed to find this guy, defeat him, and get his shards. Then they were supposed to find out some way of destroying the completed jewel. What, exactly, was she supposed to do? 

Did Koenma have any idea of what he was sending her into? He hadn't told her anything, just, "Go with Yusuke and the others and stay with them no matter what." Basically. Now she had none of her powers, no oar to summon to take her back to the spirit world, which coincidentally did not exist during this time period, and she was about as useful as the gash on her back where she'd been attacked. It was almost as if she'd been permanently reduced to the 'mortal' form she'd always adopted. It certainly seemed that way. She felt out of place, out of touch with things, and she felt like she was going out of her mind.

But why would Koenma have sent her if he'd known where or _when_ he was sending them? Kurama had only told them of Koenma's plan to destroy the Shikon jewel…and to meet up with that particular group of people in order to accomplish that. That would mean that Koenma had some general idea of what the circumstances were during the Feudal Era. That just didn't make sense to her. And while she normally wasn't one to question Koenma, she really was having a hard time being confident.

_I'm so confused_, she thought. _Maybe he didn't realize I would lose my powers or would be unable to contact him. I feel like such a knot on a log here! I can't fight, I don't have any intelligent information to give to anyone other than the fact that I know the spirit world is sort of gone at this point in time and I have no idea where my favorite spirit world brat is or how to contact him. And I somehow doubt that seeing him in this time would do much good…but if I do see him I'm going to march right up to him and knock him flat on his behind! Then see if he ever sends me on any missions like this again! _

She'd felt that way ever since arriving on this side of the well. She had been lost in thought for the majority of the time, not really offering much by way of conversation, but also couldn't help glancing at the other members of her party and wondering what they were thinking. One could never tell what Hiei was thinking, and Inuyasha seemed to be much the same way. Both were also usually lost in thought, probably deeper thoughts than hers, but then again she could never know…and thought it was probably better that way.

Kagome seemed like a nice enough girl, and seemed to be attached to Inuyasha at the hip. Botan couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw Kagome steal glances at the white-haired half-demon when he wasn't looking. Botan couldn't help but smile to herself; unrequited love was so tragically romantic. 

Even Yusuke seemed to withdraw into his thoughts more than usual. He normally wasn't one to think so much. Botan knew he was also angry with Koenma for hiding things from him. She didn't blame him; Koenma had really outdone himself this time.

"Hey Botan?"

She hadn't realized the group had stopped. Then she realized they all were staring at her. 

"What?" 

"I asked if you wanted to take a rest, too," Kagome said.

Embarrassed, she stuttered, "Um…sorry, I, uh, I'm pretty tired, yeah. Let's rest."

Kagome offered her a reassuring smile and a concerned look. "Are you feeling ok? Is that wound still bothering you?"

"I'm fine, really, it just stings." Like a thousand angry wasps, but Botan left that part out. Thus far she felt she had been doing good at not letting it get to her. Kagome's concern was a little heartwarming, at least.

Yusuke, however, wasn't convinced. "Botan, are you sure you're feeling ok? You look kind of pale."

"I'm **fine**, I said. Don't worry about me." She offered her best smile…that ended up looking more like a grimace. Yusuke raised an eyebrow.

She sighed. "Look, I can't exactly stop and wait for it to heal. So I'll deal with it."

"I just don't get it," Yusuke mused, rubbing his chin. "Why aren't you healing faster? You're not exactly human, either."

She shrugged. "I have no clue. I really don't want to discuss it, either."

He raised his hands in defense at her sudden sharp words. "Whoa, easy. I won't pry anymore, since you're going to get all sensitive about it."  
  


"It's not fun being injured and still having to travel," Kagome said matter-of-factly. "Isn't that right, Inuyasha?" She gave him a look that clearly said _say something to make her feel better._

"Hmph. If it was bothering you that bad you should have said something," he said to Botan. Kagome shook her head.

"I just didn't want to slow everyone down," Botan replied.

"A lot of good it will do if you die from an infection and we have to carry your body back," Inuyasha said. Kagome gasped, horrified.

"Sit!"

She didn't miss a beat with that word. Once Inuyasha recovered from having his face slammed into the dirt, he started sputtering about how he didn't mean it in a bad way. "I just meant that if that scratch is infected – "  
  


"It's not a scratch!" Kagome yelled back. "It's a big gash right across her back. You saw it!"

"I know I saw it! And the bigger the wounds are the more likely they'll get infected. Aren't you the one that's always saying that we need to slow down, that you all aren't like me? I'm just saying if it doesn't heal then she'll slow us down even more!"

Botan wanted to say, "Don't worry, I'm not offended," but for some reason, her voice wouldn't work. All of a sudden, she felt dizzy. The world was turning upside down, and their voices were becoming muffled. Then her knees gave way, and she collapsed, suddenly losing the strength to even lift her arms to stop herself from falling. Kagome rushed to her side. "Botan! Botan are you ok?"

Botan didn't answer. Her eyes fluttered shut as she lost consciousness. Yusuke looked beside himself.

"What's wrong with her?!" he exclaimed. "She's not…"

Kagome laid Botan face-down on the ground and lifted the girl's shirt to reveal the wound. It was dressed with Kagome's bandages, but the blood had seeped through. Kagome knew immediately from the smell that it was infected.

"She's still breathing, but we've got to get her to a dry place, someplace enclosed, where I can change the bandages. Inuyasha, can you carry her?"

Inuyasha picked up the unconscious girl without a second thought. "Let's go."

***

They found an abandoned hut not far from there, and Inuyasha laid Botan on the floor. Kagome could see that Yusuke was extremely worried about her, so she asked Inuyasha to find something for him to do.

"But I don't want to leave," Yusuke protested.

"Give the girl some privacy," Kagome replied. "She won't want to find out that you guys were here. She was embarrassed enough that I had to treat her wound the last time."

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said, storming out the door. Inuyasha and Hiei followed.

Kagome then turned to the unconscious girl lying on the floor. She placed a hand on Botan's forehead and grimaced. She was burning up. A fever in this time period was not good, and they were too far from Kaede's village to get to the well in time. She had to do what she could. It was a good thing she'd brought plenty of medical supplies from her last visit home. She had to try to get Botan's fever under control.

She removed Botan's shirt and carefully pried the soaked bandages from Botan's wound, wincing when she heard the girl utter a small noise of pain. She then cleaned the wound and applied antibiotic cream, hoping it would take some of the infection out. As she worked, she heard Botan mutter something. Startled, Kagome stopped and listened.

"…going to kill you…"

Huh? What was that all about?

"…Ko…en…ma…"

Koenma? Wasn't he that spirit world guy they were all talking about?

"Botan?" Kagome said quietly, not sure if she was still unconscious or not.

There was no reply, and Botan's eyes were still closed. Kagome wished she would wake up. She was worried.

But the wound had been treated again, and fresh bandages applied. Kagome got some water from the nearby stream and used a wet cloth to try to cool Botan's feverish face. She didn't want to leave Botan lying on her stomach for fear she'd suffocate, so she put as much padding on the floor that she could and turned Botan over onto her back. The girl let out a stifled cry of pain but did not awaken. A little while later, Inuyasha and the others returned.

"Is she any better?" Yusuke asked.

"She still hasn't regained consciousness."

Inuyasha sat on the floor. "Should we take her back to the village?"

Kagome shrugged. "I would almost say yes, but I don't know if it's wise to move her around too much."

"Is it wise to just leave her here and risk her dying?" Yusuke asked. He was pacing back and forth.

"I don't think she'll die," Kagome said. "I doubt it. We just have to let the fever run its course. I treated the wound again and the infection should go down. She will be fine."

"I don't know…" Yusuke said, partly to himself. Hiei was watching him pace the floor, a look of annoyance on his face.

"Stop that," the fire demon ordered.

"Stop what?"

Hiei sighed. "Stop pacing around. Sit down."

He shook his head. "I can't. This is bad…"

"What is the matter with you?" Kagome asked. "Believe me, she will be fine. We get into scrapes like this all the time, all she needs is time to rest and recuperate. You're acting like she's dead already."

"But what if your treatment doesn't work?" he insisted. "What then?"

"Then we'll take her back to my time…our time, I guess. Why?"

He stared at her for a moment, clearly wanting to say something but he wasn't sure how. Kagome watched him as he ran a hand through his hair and sat down with the air of a defeated man. She was curious, and had a bad feeling that whatever he was going to say wasn't going to be good.

"Look," he said. "Kurama told us to not say anything to you guys about this, because he didn't want you freaking out…but I think you need to know. When we came over here, the man we work for…Koenma…put a block on the well. A seal. We can't go back through."

Inuyasha's ears perked up. "He did what?"

Kagome wasn't sure she heard him correctly. "What do you mean…? We can't go back?"

"No. I don't like it either, but he wanted to…make sure we did our job."

Kagome laughed, an angry tone in her voice. "Sounds like he doesn't trust you enough," she said. "But he can't just do that. I have family there."

"So do I. So do all of us that came over here. But we're stuck."

She stood to her feet so suddenly that she startled everyone, including Hiei. "We'll find a way to get us **_un_**-stuck, got it? If I have to find this Koenma guy here in this time, I'll **_make_** him unseal the well. He's not going to toy around with me."

Yusuke was pretty sure he felt sorry for Koenma at that point, because judging by the look on her face; she was going to use unspeakable methods of torture if Koenma didn't unseal the well. And judging from the look on Inuyasha's face, Yusuke was sure that the dog demon agreed.

However, Inuyasha couldn't help but smirk. "Now you won't be traipsing back there whenever you please. I say we leave it this way."

"Not on your life," she bit back. "If I run out of supplies you won't feel that way."

He didn't have a reply for that. Now it was Yusuke's turn to smirk. 

"So now we have to find this Koenma person," she continued. "Do you have any idea where we should look?"

"Not a clue."

She turned to Hiei. "You?"

"No."

She sighed. "None of you are any help at all. I wonder…if Miroku could maybe remove the seal. It's worth a shot…but just in case that doesn't work, let's find this Koenma. Ok, so here's the game plan. Inuyasha…you and someone else look for the nearest village. See what kind of information you can come up with."

"I'm not leaving you here by yourself," Inuyasha replied. "And not with one of them."

Yusuke rolled his eyes. This guy was enough to drive anyone crazy. "Fine, Hiei and I will go. You can stay here and guard the house like a good doggy."

"You want to start something again?" Inuyasha snarled and balled up his fists. Yusuke yawned.

"Whatever. We're out of here. Come on, Hiei."

After the two of them left, Kagome was shaking her head in disgust. "Why do you let him get to you? You're too sensitive."

"He's a mouthy bastard."

"You two have a lot in common."

"…What are you saying?"

********************

"Why do you enjoy antagonizing him?"

Yusuke looked down in surprise at Hiei's question, which had just come out of nowhere and interrupted the silence. They'd been walking for some time with no luck, but Yusuke didn't mind the time to gather his thoughts. But then he remembered Hiei had asked him a question. 

He shrugged. "I dunno. He's an arrogant retard?"

Hiei smirked. "Hn. I'm not so sure that's the only reason."

"Just what are you getting at?" Yusuke asked, annoyed.

"I'm just saying the two of you seem to waste no time in flinging meaningless words at each other just for the sheer purpose of getting the other one angry. I actually see him doing this less and less."

"So are you saying I should lay off? Since when did you become the peacemaker?"

"I'm not. I just think the two of you could come up with better things to say. Even better insults would be nice."

Yusuke laughed. "Yeah they are kind of lame aren't they? I dunno, I guess it's just fun to see dog-boy get all riled up over nothing. He's pretty interesting, I gotta admit. I mean I've never met another half-demon before, and the only demons I knew personally were the ones in the demon world, like Raizen. He wasn't exactly a normal demon, either, but Inuyasha's different. He just seems…human."

"He's not."

"I know that. He knows that, too. You heard what he said the other day, about becoming full demon once he gets the completed Shikon jewel."

"Hn."

Yusuke was silent for a moment. "I dunno, I just can't see him being full demon. I mean, when my demon blood took over, I didn't even know what I was doing. It would be the same for him, I think."

Hiei nodded. "A half-demon's body cannot handle the effects of full-demon blood. It's a rule of nature, nothing more."

"So I wonder why he wants to take that risk…"

Hiei shrugged. "I think he has issues…ones that perhaps I can understand."

Yusuke gave him a curious look. Hiei was sharing his feelings? Yusuke resisted the urge to pinch himself to make sure he was awake.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Hiei shrugged again, looking off to the side to avoid looking at Yusuke directly. "In the demon world, a half-demon was very rare. But they did exist…to say the least. Existence was all they could achieve, even among their so-called 'kin'. My kin abandoned me because I was not like them. It was the same for a half-demon. So I imagine that in this time, where demons and their powers run free among the human world, the same rings true for half-demons here."

Yusuke was beginning to understand. "I think I get it. His demon kind view him as lower than they are because he's half…and he wants to be viewed as an equal."

"In a sense, yes."

Yusuke mulled that thought over, and the conversation died down for a while after that, leaving the two of them once again in silence. He supposed it all made sense, why Inuyasha was so sensitive. The dog demon was also extremely distrustful, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Yusuke didn't trust people easily, either. He wondered what had happened in Inuyasha's past that would make him want to become full demon so badly. For that matter, just how old was he in human years? Yusuke didn't think he looked any older than himself. Were his parents still alive? Did they abandon him? 

How did he survive?

Yusuke shook his head to clear his thoughts. Why did he even care? It wasn't like he knew Inuyasha very well at all, anyway. 

But he also couldn't deny that the longer he traveled with them, the more he got to know Inuyasha and Kagome. And the more he got the know them, the more he wanted to know.

Aside from that, he was still worried about Botan. He didn't want to return from this mission having to tell Koenma that his ferry girl had died from an injury caused by a poisoned demon attack. And Botan was his friend; he didn't want to see any of his team hurt. Which made him wonder how the other group was faring. He hoped Kurama knew what he was doing. He hoped Kuwabara hadn't done anything stupid.

And then he wondered why he was going to some village to ask people for information about…about what, he didn't even know. He didn't know if Koenma could be found in this time period. And if they could find Koenma, the brat wouldn't know who Yusuke or Hiei or any of them were. So why would he even help them? Yusuke felt he was going to go insane with all of these thoughts running through his brain. The sooner they found some civilization, the better.

* * *

Hope you liked it. Please review!

Oh, I also want to address this issue now before it even comes up, just in case someone suggests this...no, this story is not Yaoi, Yuri, or anything of the sort. Not that I'm against Yaoi fics, I personally love the Yusuke/Koenma idea, but there won't be anything like that in this fic. So no getting ideas of Yusuke/Inuyasha, or Kurama/Miroku, or whatever someone might think up. There might be male bonding but that's it. Strictly hetero here, peeps. Sorry. 


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Relatively short chapter, this time. Long wait, I know. Some developments in this one, and I've already started on chapter 12 so hopefully it won't take as long to update. I've got most of the fic planned out now so chapters should be coming faster. Somewhat. And if you have questions you'd like answered, your best bet is to email me rather than leaving it in a review. Thanks for the reviews so far. One thing I'd like to point out is this fic has many plot holes and I execute artistic license with some things so not everything is accurate. But I digress. Anyway, enjoy.

Chapter 11

_Not again_, Sango thought as she watched the perverted monk once again strike up the same old conversation with the newest pretty girl, and once again he asked the same old question.

"Will you bear my child?"

It was rather funny to watch Kuwabara's eyes nearly pop out of his head. Kurama really didn't pay him much attention, a shadow of a smirk dancing across his lips. She didn't think it was funny. Not in the least. 

Shippou also noticed the expression on Kuwabara's face and said, "He does this all the time."

Kuwabara couldn't reply immediately; he was still shocked. "I thought that he…and Sango were…"

Sango shot him a particularly nasty look. "He and Sango were **_what_**?" she asked pointedly.

If Kuwabara could have made himself shrink, that would have been the perfect time. "N-nothing," he mumbled.

The group had come across another village, much to their delight. The nights had been slightly colder and a warm bed was ideal for all of them. Plus they had wanted to do some investigating after finding a village burned to the ground. They still weren't sure that it was the same demon tribe that Jinenji had spoken of, but they wanted to find out if it involved a shard of the Shikon jewel.

Sango watched as the girl laughed that same clueless laugh…the laugh that indicated that she really thought he was joking…and walked off, Miroku laughing as well, that stupid laugh that indicated that he really didn't care whether he was turned down or not but had hoped, nonetheless. She walked up to him and stood next to him, her eyes averted, but her posture stiff as though she wanted desperately to swing her boomerang straight for his head.

"If you're finished, let's find a place to sleep," she said curtly.

And then she promptly slapped him. Hard.

Miroku blinked, surprise. "What? I kept my hands to myself, didn't I?"

"You didn't have to!" she yelled, and stormed off. Miroku noted that she was going in the direction of the wealthiest house there, and smiled. She was learning.

"Wait, Sango!" he cried, and followed her. The remainder of the group exchanged confused glances and followed along, as well.

***

"You'll please excuse me if I find it hard to trust people nowadays," the old gentleman apologized to them. "I do hate to turn down travelers. Even if you say my house is possessed by a demon, I must say the demon has done us no harm lately…at least not as much harm as the others."

Miroku frowned. "Others?"

"Indeed," the man nodded. "Three times in the last month have I been robbed by a group of demons that have been stealing from villages, sometimes burning them."

They all exchanged knowing looks. "Burning villages?"

"Sometimes. I consider our village lucky not to have been burned. That is why I do not confront the thieves, even if I could…at night I find myself asleep before I realize it, and when I awake there are things missing. It is troublesome, but I am fortunate to have my life and a roof over my head. Mostly they steal food, and food is abundant here. I also keep in mind that they may have young ones to feed."

Kurama smiled. "You are compassionate towards demons that steal from you."

The man shrugged. "Demons or not, they are living things."

"And how are you sure that the thieves are demons?" Sango asked, surprised at the mentality of this man. It was certainly not common.

"I am not. But I have heard of a group of fox demons around here that have had a tendency to steal in the past. I am not sure if it is them or not, because no one has seen them for several years."

"Fox demons," Kurama repeated to himself. The tone of his voice caused everyone to look at him.

"Do you know them?" Shippou asked.

Kurama seemed to hesitate before answering. "How would I know them?" he asked with a strained smile.

It was the look on Kurama's face that stopped Shippou from asking any more questions. Miroku and Sango were not convinced, but did not push the issue, either.

Kurama noticed the suspicious looks on their faces and didn't blame them. Still, he couldn't say anything. Not yet. He had yet to see if his own suspicions were correct.

***

As it turned out, he didn't have to wait long.

They had found sleeping space in a small cabin located at the edge of the village. The kind man and his wife had trusted them and had even cooked for them, so they had lucked out, after all. After eating, it hadn't taken long for the rest of them to fall asleep, but Kurama could not seem to find that same peace. He had a tendency to think too much as it were, but lately he hadn't been able to turn off the thoughts in his head.

_I wonder if it's her_, he thought. _I don't suppose she would know me even if I were correct. But… _

He sighed. _This is silly. _

Staring at the ceiling, he wished he could close his eyes and somehow make himself forget those unpleasant memories that wanted to rise to the surface.

And that's when he heard soft footsteps moving around in the house. His first instinct was to get up and see who it was, but something made him lie still, pretending to sleep. He didn't know why, but something also told him to not question it. So he didn't. However, as he lay there listening to the intruder pilfer through the house, his mind began to formulate a plan.

He then heard the front door open and then close. The intruder had left. He stood quietly and followed.

***

Shippou had also been lying awake. He hadn't noticed that Kurama was also awake; he was too preoccupied with his own thoughts.

He liked Kurama. Even if the other fox demon hadn't said much to him and barely acknowledged his existence, Shippou was in awe. It could've been that 'rose whip' that Kurama used in battle most of the time, or the fact that Kurama was just a good fighter. Or it could have been that it seemed such a long time since Shippou had met any other fox demons, and he missed his parents.

Kurama didn't look like any other fox demons Shippou had known before, but apparently he was a silver fox. Shippou hadn't met any silver fox demons either in his short life, though he had heard about them. He wanted to ask Kurama all sorts of questions, such as why he didn't want to talk about his past. 

Pasts were something that no one liked to talk about, it seemed. Even at his young age, Shippou realized this, and understood it to some extent. He didn't talk about his parents much because it was painful to think about them, but at the same time he remembered good things about them and wanted to keep remembering them. He didn't want to forget their faces, or those times when his mother would sing to him. He didn't want to forget his father's laugh.

He knew they would never be back. Perhaps that was the hardest part of remembering.

Shippou was pondering these things when he heard footsteps out in the house. Alarmed, he lay still, wondering if the others heard it. Maybe it was the head of the household wandering around, but somehow he guessed differently. What if it was that thief that had been stealing from the village people? Shippou thought about waking up the others but even as he debated it in his head, he heard the footsteps leave the house and the front door slide shut.

Not long after that, Kurama rose to his feet and exited the room, also leaving the house. Shippou was even more alarmed. Why didn't Kurama wake the others before following the thief? What was he thinking? It was suspicious to Shippou, who didn't want to admit that it was suspicious but nevertheless wanted to know what was going on. He decided to wake Sango.

***

Kurama could sense the intruder's presence in the distance, and also had the feeling that he was being watched, and followed, himself. That didn't surprise him. Thieves often traveled in packs, while one did the stealing. He, of course, having been one in the past. The very, very distant past.

He was almost certain now that his intuitions were correct, and that made him hurry faster, all the while unable to keep from thinking unpleasant thoughts. Had fate given him a chance to correct something that he had always wanted to correct? Or was he too late, and she was unreachable? Was he simply to get a better glimpse of what was inevitably to come?

He eventually came to a clearing, where he could see her standing there. So he _was_ right. He knew she had already sensed him, and he stood at ready. To be killed by her now was not acceptable, not when he had been given this moment.   
  
She turned to face him, and he felt his heart clench in his throat. All the things that he had always wanted to say simply faded away and he could say nothing. He could do nothing.

She studied him, sensing that he wasn't human though his form told otherwise. He could see that she was making a decision to kill him or find out why he'd followed her first. Luckily for him, she chose the latter.

"I realize why you slipped through that sleep spell," she said. "An honest mistake on my part, having not realized there was a demon in the house. I suppose I should ask why you didn't bother waking your companions to follow me here."

"I didn't need them involved," he replied.

She smirked. "So, you plan to take me on by yourself? Not very bright, are you?"

"I don't intend to fight you. I…" he stopped, once again at a loss as to what to say. "I want to know why you're doing this. Why are you stealing from people?"

"Why not?" she asked, seemingly amazed that he'd even ask such a question.

"But you weren't always that way," he said, and her expression turned from amused to confused. "You didn't always steal. You didn't have to. You don't now."

"I don't know you," she replied coldly. "I have never seen you before and you profess to know me in any way. That makes me angry."

Kurama gritted his teeth. This was foolish of him. How could he talk to her when, as she said, she didn't know him? But he had to try.

"The Silvers never lived like that before you started it," he said. "They kept to themselves, like the Red clan. You'll bring destruction upon them all if you continue this. I can't explain it, just listen to me. I know you don't know me. But I know you…"

"How do you know me?" she retorted. "As I said, I have never met you. I can't even believe I'm bothering with this talk. It's madness." 

Her tone of voice was disturbed, he could tell. He could also tell that she was getting to the breaking point, and he had to get out of there, fast. But he couldn't…he had suddenly found the words.

"The only madness is you leading the Silver clan into thievery and violence." His eyes softened as he said, "Amoyo never would have accepted that."

Her eyes widened and it was as though an explosion had gone off in her head. "Amoyo would never have accepted being killed by that witch, either!" she roared. "But he was, and that is why these pitiful humans deserve to have everything taken from them, as well. If I so choose I could take their very lives from them! But I am the generous one. How dare you…HOW DARE YOU…"

"You cannot bring him back!" he shouted in reply. "Taking revenge for something that you cannot change will only cause more pain. Do you…do you want to endanger your son's life?"

She stopped and stared at him. "Who are you?"

"I can't tell you that," he replied and looked away.

She laughed bitterly. "But you can stand there and tell me what to do. You sound very much like Amoyo…" Her voice grew wistful, but her eyes remained hard and calculating.

And then with a flip of her hair, she took off without another word. Kurama watched her leave, knowing that if he followed her, she would kill him. His legs felt weak, and he had to sit to keep himself from collapsing. He felt very tired.

***

"What do you think it means?"  
  


Sango glanced at Shippou and shook her head. "I don't know…it's obviously someone he knew before."

Shippou looked disturbed. "She was a silver fox demon. They used to keep to themselves but they've developed a reputation for being violent thieves. Does that mean that Kurama was once a thief?"  
  


"Probably," Sango replied. "But there's a story there that only he knows. Let's not bother him about it right now. Maybe we can get some answers later."

That seemed to work for Shippou, who nodded and began to head back to the village, but Sango felt troubled. It didn't look good for someone who was already suspicious to do something like follow an intruder without waking the group. And it was someone he knew. She had heard most of the conversation, and had developed her own theory, but she couldn't test it until later. She had to wait.


	12. Chapter 12

* * *

A/N: Wow, that took awhile to update. Sorry for the delay, I pretty much work full time now and don't have much time to do anything else. What to say about this chapter...hmmm, well it has a pretty major development, there's some more character development, and I wrote it at work during a slow day. I'm such a rebel. Enjoy.

**Chapter 12 – The Good Side of Evil**

"I don't think she's getting any better."

"Of course she is. Her fever broke, didn't it?"

"Yeah but look at her. She's pale, she's cold, and she looks dead."

"From what I gather, she was dead already, wasn't she? She's not really human. So how do we know she's getting worse?" 

Kagome was getting very frustrated. "If we don't do something soon, she really will die."  
"How can a dead person die again?"

She clenched her fist. "She's not _dead_ dead, she's just not human.

She's a spiritual being, right? How else can you describe her?"

"Just stop worrying. She'll be fine."

"How can I not worry? It's been almost two days and those two haven't come back. What if something happened to them, too?"

Inuyasha sighed. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

Without waiting for a reply, he picked the unconscious girl up and hoisted her onto his back. Botan made a small noise of displeasure but was otherwise still. "Grab your stuff and let's get going."

At Kagome's confused look he continued, "We're going to find them. You're driving me insane and I'm pretty tired of waiting on them too, so let's go."

Kagome smiled but then frowned. "I'm not sure it's ok to move her."

"It doesn't matter, I'm not waiting anymore."

She sighed, but had to admit she was glad to be taking some action. She had been afraid of moving Botan, but at this point she wasn't sure she had a choice. Something had almost certainly happened to Yusuke and Hiei, and she just hoped they weren't too late.

* * *

"Yusuke, wake up."

At first he wasn't sure what he was hearing; all he could hear was a loud ringing in his ears. The voice seemed to break through that, but it was a quiet voice, and he didn't know if he was imagining it or not. He tried to open his eyes but it felt like they were swollen shut. His whole body felt numb for some reason, but he could feel a cold floor beneath him. His mind felt fogged; he couldn't remember what had happened.

hr

That voice again. "Wake up."

A hand started shaking him and he finally managed to open his eyes.

Hiei was standing over him, looking annoyed.

"What's going on?" He sat up, groaning, and looked around. They were in a large, empty room with only one window and a small lamp that provided the only light. It was otherwise dark.

"Where are we?"

"You don't remember what happened?"

He rubbed his head, which had started hurting. "Not really."

"Do you remember the ogres?"

Ogres? Did he remember? Yes, he thought he could remember walking, on their way to find...Koenma? And ogres came out of nowhere, attacked them. Hiei took down several with his sword. Yusuke blasted a few more. The fight had been going exceptionally well with no problems, and then all of a sudden, nothing. The next thing he knew he was waking up somewhere else, and Hiei had been caught, too.

"I'm really confused. How did we get beaten and captured by a bunch of stupid ogres?"

Hiei shrugged, not seeming to care. "Does it matter? We need to focus on getting out of here first. I'm not sure how, as this place has no doors. My sword has been taken, and I cannot transform."

"Magical barrier?"

"Possibly. See if you can fire the spirit gun."

Nodding, Yusuke tried to concentrate his spirit energy into one finger.

A strange feeling came over him, almost like nausea, but not strong enough to make the energy

dissolve. He could feel the energy, strong and vibrant, but it wouldn't focus. Sweat formed on his forehead. He began to feel like he was going to pass out, so he stopped and sat back  
down, feeling drained.

"Nothing. Dammit, this isn't good. So what do we do now?"

"We wait. Whoever brought us here will have to eventually show up and tell us what they want."

"Or they'll show up and try to kill us."

"If they wanted to kill us, they would have done it already."

Yusuke sighed and went over to the window. All he could see was darkness, as clouds covered the moon.

"I wonder how long we've been gone," Yusuke said.

"I'm not sure. I was knocked out, as well, and I don't know for how long. I'm sure it was awhile."

Yusuke started pacing. "I hope Botan hasn't died yet. I wonder if they

went back to the village."

"I doubt they would leave us."

"You're right. Which means they'll be looking for us."

"Indeed."

Yusuke smirked. "Dog-boy ought to be able to sniff us out. That kind of makes me feel better, but not by much. And I'm hungry."

Hiei said nothing, apparently not wanting to talk anymore. The fire demon relaxed against a wall, his eyes closed. Yusuke was bored, and he had such great company.

_Might as well relax too_, he thought. _Not a thing I can do at this point. Still it drives me insane. I wonder how the others are doing...Kurama and Kuwabara. I hope Kuwabara hasn't done anything stupid. And that Kurama...I still want to beat his ass. He's never done anything like that before. Neither has Koenma...makes me wonder why the hell he even asked me to go back to being a spirit detective if he doesn't even trust me._

Yusuke shook his head, trying to brush away the negative thoughts. He hated the feeling he got when he thought of how Koenma and Kurama had hidden things from him and virtually trapped him in this place. He hated thinking that it wasn't even worth it for him to be there...and if he made it through this unsettling case, he was going to quit. He didn't want to. Being a spirit detective had been his life before the ordeal with Sensui, and then the battle in the demonic world. That whole mess was behind him after he'd finally decided to come back to the human world. He thought the others had come to trust him.

But now with the whole 'sacred jewel' thing, it was like they were afraid he was going to go nuts and kill them all. He didn't know if it was really that bad, but they didn't trust him. And the most disturbing thought was that they had a reason_. _

_ I know how to control my demon side now. I won't go crazy. I won't. I've only really gone crazy once, and it saved our asses didn't it? So what's the big deal?_

The big deal was that he was scared.

He'd never admit it in a million years, but this world was like a bomb about to go off. And he was feeling the flame get closer and closer.

* * *

"Ugh, this is terrible!" Kagome exclaimed, covering her nose. "The smell!" 

"How do you think I feel?" Inuyasha replied, looking ill. "I think I can pick up their scent, but its faint. The dead ogre smell sort of prevails."

"You're telling me. Looks like they got into a fight. So we're on the right track."

Inuyasha nodded and took another step forward...and suddenly stopped.

"Wait," he said.

Kagome stopped short. "What is it?"

He sniffed the air and made a low, growling noise in his throat.

Kagome felt her heart pound. Something was wrong.

"I smell something," he replied. "It doesn't smell right. It smells...old. Ancient. Almost without scent, but it's there, like a presence that doesn't belong."

"What could it be?"

"I don't know. But whatever it was, I think it may have taken Yusuke and Hiei."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because their scent stops here."

* * *

Yusuke didn't know how long he'd been dozing, but he awoke with a start, not really sure what had disturbed him. At first he thought they might be under attack again, but once he came to his senses, he realized they were alone still. But something was different...and then he saw why. 

There was a door to their room, and it was open.

He was immediately on his feet when he noticed Hiei was still asleep.

He nudged the fire demon slowly, not wanting to alarm him, but Hiei slept on. Annoyed, Yusuke shook his shoulder. Still nothing.

"Hiei, wake up!" he called. "Wake up, dammit, there's a door."

Hiei's head nodded, and he snorted. Actually _snorted_.

Yusuke blinked and stood there for a moment. His teeth bit into his lip so hard, he was sure he was drawing blood. He bolted for the door, stood outside it and busted into a fit of laughter.

"Oh man that was priceless," he said to no one in particular. "I can't go back in there without laughing more."

Yusuke then realized he was standing in the middle of a dimly lit hallway with several burning torches. He looked back and forth, half-expecting to see something leap at him from the shadows. Nothing did, of course, and he began to walk. Hiei could just continue to sleep; he'd be back to get him later.

An unknown amount of time later, he decided that he was lost. The place was a maze. He had run into several dead ends and dark hallways, which he wasn't even going to bother going down because he couldn't see at all. He sighed and leaned up against a wall, thinking that now he wouldn't even be able to get back to Hiei.

While he was sitting and thinking, the torches went out. His eyes went wide, and his heart began to race.

This wasn't just ordinary darkness. This was _advanced_ darkness.

He was afraid to move at first, and then chided himself for being such a baby. If there were anything or anyone else, they wouldn't be able to see, either. So he started moving again, not really knowing what he was looking for.

And then his eye caught sight of something disappearing around a corner. He thought it was a light. Naturally, he began following it, first at a hesitant walk, and then he started running, never really seeming to be able to keep up with it. And then he saw it...a person shrouded in a dark cloak, carrying a lighted candle. He almost shouted to him...or her...but something made him think again.

He continued following the stranger as he or she led him through the series of mazes. He wondered if he was being toyed with, as a cat toys with her prey. It sort of had that feel to it...that he was being led straight into a waiting pair of jaws filled with gleaming white teeth.

Finally the person disappeared into a room. Naturally, he followed, that feeling of dread growing stronger. He knew he should listen to his gut instincts, which were screaming at him at this point not to go into that room. But he didn't think he really had a choice.

Indeed, as soon as he entered the room, the door melted away behind him and he felt his hands and feet suddenly bound with unseen material. He struggled, inwardly and outwardly cursing himself and whoever was doing this. The person in question was standing across from him in another dark room lit only by the small candle still in hand.

Yusuke, still struggling, said, "Who are you?"

There was no reply, but Yusuke could see part of his face...and the small smile on his lips.

"I would ask the same of you," came the reply at last. "Or rather..._what_ are you?"

Yusuke stopped struggling and contemplated quickly the implications of that question.

"Well, if you have to ask that question, I would say you already know," Yusuke said. "Is that why you had us attacked? Who are you?"

"I tell my name to no one, especially not demons. Not even half-demons." There was a bitter edge in the soft, silken voice. It was a male, but sounded like a young male, a teenager not much older than Yusuke.

"Ok, so tell me why you bothered bringing us here rather than just killing us?"

That smile again, this time accompanied by a small chuckle. "You demons fascinate me. So powerful yet so easily overtaken. Those ogres didn't stand a chance, and without them as a distraction I never could have captured you."

Yusuke felt ill. Did this guy have more demons tied up somewhere? His own personal torture chamber? He sounded like a sick freak.

"Um, listen, I'm sure we are very fascinating, however, I need to be going now."

A sinister laugh. "Why should I let you go when doing that would be the same as killing those innocent people?"

Yusuke felt something resembling rage build up inside of him as he remembered the black tape of human travesties and sins. He remembered Sensui's own pain and rage against the human race, to which he had belonged. Yusuke, who did not belong to either race, at times felt pity and anger towards both.

"Humans are no more innocent than demons...demons just tend to show their evil side a bit more. Why do you think these are times of war? There are men who would stop at nothing for a demon's power simply because there are innocent people he could control. Singling out one race against another is just ignorance."

There was a pause before the stranger replied, "That's interesting logic coming from a half-breed killer."

"I'm no killer," Yusuke said, gritting his teeth. He tried not to remember standing over Sensui with a clenched fist, the horrible realization of what he'd done washing over him in a torrent.

"Your eyes say something else. Which is it? Are you a killer or are you a 'good' demon?"

Yusuke felt his face heat up in anger and he began to yell, "I'm just me, dammit! I'm Yusuke Urameshi. I'm 18 years old! I'm a high school dropout! I work for the spirit world! I get treated like shit by people I thought were my friends! I – "

"What did you say?"

Yusuke's eyes were flashing. "What did I say? I said I'm Yusuke Urameshi – "

"No, about working for the spirit world. What did you mean by that?"

Yusuke fell silent. _The spirit world…that's right, it doesn't exist in this era. What do I say now? _

"I mean what I said. I work for the spirit world and its rulers. Or, what it was. Or will be. I don't know. It's hard to explain. I doubt you'd believe me if I told you, anyway."

There was silence now from the mysterious stranger as he still stood shrouded in the cloak and only a candle for light. Yusuke watched him, wondering what was going on.

"The spirit world would _never_ employ the help of demons. _Never_." The stranger's voice was now laced with extreme hatred.

"Well it did. 'Course, they didn't know I was a demon at the time."

"Silence!" the stranger bellowed. "I can't believe the spirit world would ever employ the help of a demon, even a half-demon, and besides, the spirit world is destroyed!"

"I know it's destroyed. It was destroyed years ago. Centuries ago." Yusuke really didn't want to play history lesson at the moment. "It is destroyed, but it's still there. One day it will be restored. Right now what's going on is the demon world is overrunning the human world, and I was sent here by the spirit world to restore the Shikon jewel to de…I mean, help fix the problem."

There was another pause of silence. "Everyone knows of the jewel. Any demon knows of the jewel, and all demons want it to magnify their power."

"But I don't," Yusuke replied. "Look, I'm sick of talking to you. Why don't you just let me and my friend go? And why didn't you bring him in here too for a nice chat session?"

"Because he did not intrigue me as much as you do," the stranger replied. "Somehow…I feel inclined to believe you, even though I shouldn't. I'm not sure how you can prove that you work for the spirit world…except that you would have to know your employer."

Finally the stranger removed the hood of the cloak, revealing his face. Yusuke's eyes widened.

Brown hair, thin lips, and pale face…as well as hard, unyielding golden eyes.

"Koenma…"

Pretty predictable, but at least they finally found Koenma. No I will not tell you who the pairings are. There will be pairings but we're not even close to being there yet, people. Sit back, relax, and go read some PWP on Adultfanfiction.net. You'll feel better.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I absolutely love this chapter. I updated fast so I apologize for any confusing parts or typos. I tried to find them all. Anyway, enjoy. 

Chapter 13

Kurama could feel Sango watching him. It made him a little uneasy. He knew she had followed him that night, and she was curious. He was surprised she hadn't said anything yet, but he imagined she would have something to say soon, with all the disapproving looks she was giving him. He supposed she had a right to distrust him, but there wasn't much he could do. 

Shippou had also followed him; apparently neither of them had been affected much by the sleep spell that had been cast. The young fox demon kept giving him hurt stares, making Kurama feel oddly like a traitor. Which he wasn't, of course, but they didn't know that. 

He couldn't tell them the truth. It was far too complicated for him to even understand. Just the fact that he had even seen her was so farfetched that he found himself wondering if he had imagined the encounter. Of course he hadn't, otherwise he would be imagining the accusing yet curious stares of Sango and the disappointed stares of Shippou, who just a few days ago had been looking up at him with an almost worshipful gaze.

They were now on their way back to the village where they began. Kaede's village, as Sango and Miroku put it. He wasn't exactly thrilled to be returning after the events that had transpired a few days ago, but he didn't exactly have a choice. The old woman had also made him feel uncomfortable, as though she could see right through him. 

Then his thoughts turned to her, the silver fox demon known as Akita. He had barely known her in his lifetime, but he had known enough about her. She was the leader of the best-known fox tribe of the time, a tribe of master thieves. Foxes were the best thieves, after all, but the silvers were known for their ruthless cunning. 

He had received a lot of traits from her...the mother he had barely known. It was harrowing, to think that somewhere in a small cave, a smaller version of his demon self lay curled up with other fox demon children, asleep, or perhaps waiting for his mother to return. He remembered, vaguely, times where she would be gone for weeks. They were usually left with a den mother, someone too old to go with the pack, that would watch them in the absence of their own mothers.

Kurama sighed, lost in his own thoughts. He also remembered the day the tribe returned without his mother. She'd been killed by the priestess Kikyou, the same priestess who had killed his father, Amoyo, whom he had never known. 

According to Akita, Amoyo had been trying to steal the Shikon jewel from the village when Kikyou wounded him with her arrow...several arrows, in fact. Kurama remembered the vengeance in her eyes as Akita would recall how her mate died in her arms.

Kurama opened his palm to reveal the shining jewel shard in his hand. This thing...how could it grant so much power? How was it that even shards of a tiny ball could be so troublesome. His eyes narrowed as he stared at it, and even then he could feel the rage building. The suffering had to end. 

It was evil. It had to be destroyed.

And they would be the ones to destroy it.  
  
Dreams. How she hated dreams. For Sango, her dreams were like visions of terrible doom, the irreversible fate of her brother, the laughing, hateful face of Naraku who took Kohaku away.

In his hand was the shard that he held, almost completed. She could hear his terrible laughter. He held Kohaku up by the neck, choking him. She tried to scream but no sound came out, and she could not move. She finally could tear her eyes away from her brother to look back at Naraku's face...only now it was not Naraku, but Kurama, the demon in a human's disguise. His face was no longer impassive but his lips were stretched into a sadistic grin. 

"I knew I couldn't trust you!" she screamed. 

He only continued grinning at her and held up something that looked like a knife or a dagger or something sharp. Blood dripped off the tip. He lifted it, and brought it down, piercing Kohaku's heart...  
  
Sango awoke with a start, but lay still, her body paralyzed with terror. Her breath came in short gasps and she could feel the sweat cooling on her body. Her heart pounded mercilessly.

It was then that she heard a similar gasp, and across the campsite she saw Kurama sit up suddenly. She shrank back under her blanket and closed her eyes, not wanting him to notice that she was awake. She then opened one eye to see what was going on.

His eyes were hidden under his long red mane of hair, and she watched as he raised one badly shaking hand to cover his face. His shoulders were wracked with either heavy breathing, or...was he crying?

He turned to look at her and she quickly shut her eyes again. She tried her best to calm her racing heart and appear to be sleeping peacefully. She stayed that way for what seemed like a long time, not wanting to risk opening her eyes to find him staring at her. Finally, she heard the rustling of a blanket and she opened one eye partially to see him walking off into the woods. She sat up.

_I wonder where he's going now?_ she wondered.

She didn't want to follow him but suddenly her body had a mind of its own as she found herself getting up.  
  
He stumbled through the woods, not really caring where he went, not really caring if he got lost. He just had to get away.

Such a vivid dream...he never had those. At least, not very often. And they had never bothered him as badly as this one.

In his dream he had been home, in his human mother's house. He'd been helping with the dishes, and looking out the window he could see his mother gardening in the yard. She had looked up and given him a beautiful smile. A contagious smile.

Suddenly a darkness came over the house, as though a large rain cloud had just appeared out of nowhere. But it wasn't rain. He could smell the scent of a demon.

It was her. Akita. 

_Why is she here?_ he wondered. He felt fear, not for himself, but for his family. He looked outside again and to his horror saw his human mother slumped over her flowers. He cried out and ran outside. It was dark, so dark, and in what light was left, he saw the demoness standing over his human mother.

"No," he said, his voice sounding far away.

"How could you ever be human?" the demoness said. "You belong to us."

"But you didn't have to kill her!" he cried.

She gave him an almost sympathetic smile. "I did not kill her," she said. "_You did_."

And she held out the Shikon shard for him to see. It was tainted entirely red.

With a dawning horror he reached into his pocket, already knowing the shard he had carried was not there.

"No."

And he had opened his eyes to find it was all a dream. Just a nightmare. Why had he dreamed something like that? He knew there was no way Akita could kill his human mother. They were in completely different time periods and it was impossible.

"I just don't understand," he said aloud to no one. "I don't understand what it's supposed to mean."

He still carried the shard. It was resting comfortably in his pants pocket, and he instinctively felt for it, to make sure. He felt the cool texture of the shard and gripped it tightly in his hand. He hated this thing. Hated it. He didn't understand why Koenma had given it to him and not one of the others, such as Botan. Botan was better equipped to carry the shard, and had less susceptibility to its power.

He could feel it drawing on his negative feelings already, and he forced himself to calm down. It wouldn't do to give in to the shard now and go insane. Perhaps when he got back he would give the shard to Kagome. He stopped at a clearing, where the noise of a small stream broke the silence of the forest. He sat down and stared at the reflection of the moonlight in the water, collecting his thoughts.

It wasn't long after that he heard a noise behind him, the soft footsteps of a follower. He knew who it was, and had sensed her following him all along. He waited for her to speak first.

"Why did you leave?" she asked.

"Why did you follow me?"

That counter-question took her by surprise and she struggled for an answer.

"Well it is kind of suspicious when you go off by yourself in the middle of the night. Twice, now."

He chuckled. "I suppose that is suspicious. I don't know if this helps, but I assure you I'm not in league with Naraku."

"I never said that —"

"No, you didn't. But it's in your eyes, on your face, and I know you have thought it. You don't trust me because I'm a demon in a human's body and that frightens you."

"I'm not scared of you."

He turned to look at her then, saw the defiance on her face...and a slight touch of guilt. He offered her a surprisingly genuine smile.

"If you're not scared of me, why don't you join me?"

She hesitated, but sat down next to him anyway. She watched him warily. He didn't talk for a few moments, his eyes watching the water.

"You had a nightmare, didn't you?" she asked suddenly, and immediately wished she hadn't. It wasn't any of her business.

But he didn't seem to mind. "Yes, I did. And you did, too."

She blushed furiously. "You knew I was awake."

He smirked. "Yes. I can sense irregular breathing patterns and you were also squeezing your eyes shut."

She laughed nervously, and he regarded her silently, his eyes seeming to gleam in the moonlight.

"I know you and Shippou followed me that night," he said suddenly. "And you're lucky you weren't ripped to shreds. She travels in a pack, and they were there. I could smell them."

"But who was she?"

"My mother."

Sango frowned. "Your mother?"

"My demon mother."

Sango looked confused. "I don't understand."

Kurama sighed and placed a hand over his face. "I don't really understand it, either. Let me try to explain."

And so they sat down on some fallen logs and he went through the story... 

_The first thing he remembered was someone warm holding him close, the soft scent of body heat, the person he soon recognized as his mother. That vague shadow of a memory was all he truly had of who she once was. After the death of his father, soon after his birth, she had become distant and cold towards everyone, including him._

He recalled long weeks when she would not be there at all, and then when she did return, she could not look at him for long without ranting about his father.

"You look so much like Amoyo," she would cry. "Especially your eyes. They are your father's eyes. I promise you, boy, that I will avenge your father by killing the bitch who took him away from us."

And when Kurama would ask who that was, she would launch into a rant about Kikyou, the priestess.

"We may be demons, but she is more sinister and evil than we are."

"But why did she kill him?"

Somehow, she never answered that question. She wasn't concerned with why, she was only concerned with the fact that he was dead and that was it. She became more and more distant until finally she never returned. Later he learned she was killed by the same priestess who killed his father.

After that, members of the pack returned to the demon world, where he eventually became the most feared thief of all, and he was proud to live up to his mother's expectations. Always he heard her words in her mind...

"You must be powerful and cunning, Kurama," she would say. "So that you are never taken by surprise."

And in the end, she had been surprised, and it had cost her life. He didn't want to end up like that.  
  
"So how did you end up in the human world?" Sango asked. 

"That's a different story in itself."   
  
_Despite his power, he had discovered that sometimes, as the saying goes, shit happens. Despite all efforts to be cunning and quick, he nearly lost his own life. But he had managed to escape the demon world before dying and managed to be reborn in a human child. He thought he had won._

It turned out that he ended up tricking himself. As he in his human form grew, some part of him became human, and did not want to return to the demon world. Some part of him, the part that was human, fell in love with his human family, seeing how different they were, how fragile they were. They were warm, and they stayed warm.

When his human father died, he felt something he had never felt since learning of his demon mother's death. He hadn't known what it was then, but now he knew.

Grief. Sorrow. Pain. All of those things he had been so good at causing to others.

He had a fierce desire to protect these people who had become his second family. 

And so he stayed the boy known as Minamino Schuichi in his human mother's home.

"That is fascinating," Sango breathed.

"Fascinating?"

She nodded. "I've never heard of a demon wishing to stay human. I suppose you still have your powers. But you only use them when you need to."

"Indeed. I suppose it would be unheard of in this day and age when one dares not show any amount of weakness."

"But even demons have weaknesses."

"True, and I know this. Take Inuyasha, for instance. His fear of weakness is his weakness."

Sango chuckled. "You read him perfectly."

He smiled. "I have exceptional insight, from what I'm told."

"So it would seem. But tell me, what were planning to do when you went to talk to your demon mother? She doesn't know who you are now, right?"

"Of course not, and I doubt she'd believe me if I told her. Honestly...I don't know. I want to convince her to stop the madness and move on, but I know it's not going to happen. She is going to lead the pack into destruction. Have you ever wanted to change the past so much that...that it just...?"

"More than you know," she said quietly. "Naraku has made us all wish that. That's why we want so badly to defeat him."

"He seems to have made several enemies."

"He has."

"So why hasn't anyone defeated him yet?"

She suddenly felt chilled and hugged herself. "It's because he keeps staying one step ahead of us. He's thought of every worst possible scenario to keep us hating him."

She sighed and added, "But I hope that with extra people, we'll be able to stop him now."

Kurama thought again of the Shikon jewel shard in his pocket and felt renewed fervor. Once this Naraku was defeated, the jewel could be destroyed.

"I don't think he'll stand a chance."

* * *

And the plot thickens...well, not really. This was just a fun character-development "filler" chapter. Kurama and Sango seem to be growing closer, so this may be an alternate pairing later...eventually. However, it's not written in stone so don't go freaking out on me. Stay tuned. I'm on a roll here, people. 


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: This chapter was a pain. I got stuck big time. It was going to be longer but I decided to stop here. Hope I wasn't too evil. Enjoy.  
  
Chapter 14 

Yusuke could only stare in disbelief and confusion as a myriad of thoughts ran through his head at once. His first reaction was stunned excitement. They had found Koenma, which had been the whole purpose of leaving the rest of the group in the first place. The second reaction was that something was definitely wrong.

This Koenma was in adult form; slightly similar to the form Yusuke was used to, with the expected differences of time-appropriate clothing and his brown hair pulled back and tied at the top of his head. Yusuke wasn't used to the hard look of distrust and borderline hatred on Koenma's face.

"Tell me, my young half-breed friend, do you honestly expect me to believe your story?" Koenma asked. "I can tell you now that we would never hire your kind. My father's hatred of demons exceeds even my own."

The underworld prince approached him and stared him straight in the eye. Yusuke found it hard not to look away.

"You know who I am, do you not?" Koenma continued, his look scrutinizing Yusuke's reaction. "You said my name, therefore you must know. I do not know you. I do not associate with your kind. Your people have all but destroyed my people and their will to live."

Yusuke tried to speak; his lips moved, but no sound came out. He was wracking his brain, trying to think of some way he could convince Koenma he was telling the truth. It was unfortunately obvious there wasn't going to be much he could say in his defense that Koenma would believe.

"Don't have anything to say, do you?" Koenma asked, his voice mocking. "I didn't think so. How pathetic..."

"So why exactly are you keeping me here, anyway?" Yusuke asked.

" I am interested in the spiritual power I sense within you," the prince replied. "Something I have never detected in a half-breed demon. You are half human as well, are you not?"

"What does it matter?" Yusuke argued.

"It matters," Koenma replied sharply. "Because your life depends on it."

That worried Yusuke slightly. "Just what are you going to do? If you're going to kill me, at least give me a fighting chance."

Koenma ignored him. "It troubles me to think that a demon could end up with the power of our world. Yet here it is. How you acquired it is beyond me." He frowned and turned away to face the wall.

It more than troubled the prince that a half-demon had somehow acquired the powers of his world. It sickened him to no end. He hadn't been sure of the power he felt within the half-breed, but the stone proved it. The stone would have greatly affected the half-demon had there been no true spiritual power. Where had he gotten that power?

He could sense no shards of the Shikon jewel with the half-demon, either. He felt the constant presence of the shard he held in his robes. Clearly this half-breed could not sense the shard's presence, which was fortunate.

Koenma decided to discuss this with his father. He would know what to do.

* * *

"Inuyasha, I think we passed that through here already." 

Inuyasha gave Kagome a very unpleasant look. "I know what I'm doing, dammit. I told you, I sense something strange up ahead."

"How far ahead?"

"I don't know!" he yelled, and kept walking. Kagome followed, feeling frustrated, tired, and hungry. They had been walking even after night fell, guided by the moonlight. Not to mention she was sure they were lost. Inuyasha had lost the trail of Yusuke and Hiei's scent long ago, and had picked up the 'strange' scent in their place. She had the impression that he really wasn't as sure about himself as he let on.

In addition to all of that, Botan was still unconscious and appeared to be getting worse. Kagome was worried that all this movement would aggravate the wound even more and then she'd be done for.

"Inuyasha, I think we should stop and rest," she said. Of course she was trying in vain, because he wouldn't hear it.

"It's getting closer. We're almost there."

It was very odd to her that Inuyasha seemed more intent on finding their lost companions than she was. He hadn't been excited about them joining their group in the first place. Kagome wondered just what exactly he was thinking.

"I'm sure they're fine, Inuyasha," she said.

"What makes you think I'm worried about those idiots?" Inuyasha retorted, his eyes flaring. "The two weeks are almost over and I want to get back and make sure Miroku and the others weren't ambushed by those other two."

Kagome sighed. And then her head snapped up as she felt the pulsing sensation of a Shikon shard nearby.

"Inuyasha..." she said. "I feel a Shikon shard."

He stopped immediately and stared at her. "Where?!"

She smiled sheepishly and pointed. "In that direction."

"That's the way we were going in the first place!"

"Details, details."

"Well let's get going," he said, and kept walking.

"Wait, what about the others?"

"We'll find them later. Move, woman!"

* * *

The first thing Hiei registered was he had an enormous headache as though he'd been clubbed. Then he opened his eyes and realized he was still in the same room. Yusuke was standing by the window. 

"Bout time you woke up," Yusuke said, still gazing out at the moon-lit scenery.

"Any sign of anything?" Hiei asked.

"Koenma."

Hiei blinked, surprised. "What?"

"Yeah, I saw Koenma. He and I had a little talk."

The tone of indifference in Yusuke's voice concerned Hiei. He frowned.

"You'd better be telling the truth."

"I am."

Hiei rubbed his temple and stood to his feet. "Well? Why the hell did he stick us in this room, then?"

"He's not exactly the same as he is in the future," Yusuke replied, and told Hiei about his encounter with Koenma.

"Considering the era, I'm not surprised the brat has a vendetta against demons," Hiei said. "Can we get out of here now?"

"I haven't tried. You up for it?"

Hiei's reply was interrupted by a low growl from the darkest corner of the room. They turned to see glowing eyes emerge from the shadows, accompanied by a set of sharp teeth that glistened in the filtered moonlight.

"Indeed," Hiei said, smiling, and drew his sword.

* * *

Kagome led Inuyasha through a dense thicket, all the while trying to drown out his mumbling. She couldn't make out what he was saying, and knew she probably didn't want to hear it. He was tired and grouchy, as she was, and neither of them wanted to keep walking, but had to. They couldn't very well stop now that she'd detected a shard. She did feel bad about stopping their search for Yusuke and Hiei, but promised herself she'd apologize to them later. 

If they found them alive.

She sighed and continued walking. How long had they been walking now? She looked up at the sky and noticed the moon had gone, and the sky was getting lighter. They had walked all night.

She heard Inuyasha call her name and stopped.

"What?"

"Look, there's a palace up ahead. I can see its towers."

She looked and saw the dark shadows ahead of them through the trees. She could definitely detect the shard in that direction. It was most likely there at that palace. Why did she have a bad feeling about it?

"It could be a trap," she said. "I think we should go find Yusuke and Hiei first and come back with them."

Inuyasha snorted indignantly. "We don't need _their_ help! I'll smash anything that gets in my way. We're getting that shard."

He stomped past her angrily as if to prove his point, and then stopped suddenly. He stood there for a moment, his head raised to the wind, sniffing, and then he sighed.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

He turned, a sour look on his face. "They're here, anyway," he muttered.

Kagome smiled, relieved to hear their lost companions were finally found. "Well that solves both of our problems, doesn't it?"

Inuyasha cracked his knuckles and grinned sadistically. "You bet. If I find out they tried to steal the shard from us, you can bet I'll solve our problem. I'll kick both of their asses!"

Kagome frowned. "You think they stole the shard? Inuyasha, I really don't – "

"Kagome, why else would they be here?"

"Well, what if something bad happened to them? How will you feel, then?"

Inuyasha snorted. "They can take care of themselves. They should have kept out of this, anyway."

Kagome gritted her teeth. "Inuyasha, you're such an idiot!" With that, she stormed off. He stared after her, bewildered.

"What?"

Upon arriving at the massive gate, Kagome noticed that the walls looked severely dilapidated and neglected. Peering inside through the cracks, she could see the main courtyard and the buildings within, and it appeared the entire place was deserted. She felt a shiver go up her spine. What if it was another of Naraku's traps?

Inuyasha came up behind her and stared at the gate, clearly coming to the same conclusion. He shifted Botan's weight on his back and a hand reached for the hilt of Tetsusaiga. She glanced at him and he nodded.

"It's probably a trap," he said.

"What about Botan?" Kagome pointed out. The unconscious girl was a dead weight on his back. It would be difficult for him in a fight.

He shrugged. "Don't worry about me."

Inuyasha pulled open the gate and the two of them stepped inside the palace walls. The rest of the estate was in poor shape, and the buildings appeared to be falling apart. Several windows were shattered and there were holes in the roof. Doors had fallen down, some seeming to have been torn down. Plant life had taken over the yard.

There was no one living there. Or so it seemed.

"Can you still feel the shard?" Inuyasha asked.

"Stronger than before," she replied. "It's definitely here." Kagome noticed something moving in the brush. She stopped and stared. Nothing moved.

"Inuyashaâ€I thought I saw something over there."

"Over where?"

She pointed to the bushes.

"You're imagining things," he muttered.

And then, in a flash, something zipped past her, nearly knocking her over, and was on Inuyasha before either of them realized what was happening. He went down with a yell of surprise, and Botan went sprawling to the ground as well, making a moan of painful protest as she landed on her back. Kagome blinked, still not sure what had just happened.

Inuyasha was pinned by a snarling creature neither of them had ever seen before. It was large, muscular, and reddish-brown. It had sharp teeth and claws, which Inuyasha found himself face-to-face with. Its eyes glowed golden and its tail swished, much like a dog's.

It resembled a dog, Kagome realized. But she had never seen a dog with glowing gold eyes.

"Inuyasha!" she cried.

"Get this thing off me!" he yelled and tried to push himself up, but the monster would not relent. "Dammit its breath stinks!"

Kagome pulled out an arrow and took aim with her bow. The animal didn't seem to even notice she was there, and she had a perfect shot. Luckily it had not injured Inuyasha yet; it seemed to just be holding him there, snarling. Both were snarling, actually. Either way she had to get it off Inuyasha before it decided to swipe at him with those monstrous claws. She fired, and the arrow glowed with pure light as it struck the animal's side.

It howled and crashed to the ground. Inuyasha jumped quickly to his feet and sputtered, "What the hell is that thing?"

"I don't know, but it's getting up!" she cried. Indeed the creature was standing to its feet. As the two of them watched in awe and disbelief, the purifying arrow disappeared before their eyes. Disintegrated. Gone.

"How could it do that?" Kagome breathed. "It nullified my purifying arrow."

"That's because it isn't a demon."

She stared at him. "It's not?"

"No. I don't sense one ounce of demonic energy coming from it. Do you?"

She shook her head. "Now that I have time to think about it, no, I guess I don't. That's odd."

"Does it have a shard?"

"No. Nothing," she replied.

The monster was crouched into attacking position, its glowing eyes focused on the pair. Inuyasha stepped in front of Kagome and withdrew Tetsusaiga.

"Alright, you ugly bastard, let's get it on."

"Inuyasha, be careful," Kagome warned, and dragged Botan off to one side where they would be out of the way. She felt a little confused with herself; as she hadn't even noticed its lack of demonic aura until Inuyasha had mentioned it. Even so, an arrow should have affected it in some way, whether it was a purification arrow or not. It had had no affect whatsoever.

The creature circled Inuyasha, its teeth bared as it growled angrily at him. Inuyasha watched it carefully, poised and ready for when it attacked. For the moment it seemed content to do nothing but watch him. It remained crouched in attack position, and Inuyasha stayed prepared. He wasn't going to let his guard down for this one.

At that moment, Kagome felt the hair on her neck and arms stand up as an enormous amount of energy filled the air. Even the creature stood still, as though waiting, and Kagome's head began to hurt because of the pressure. Inuyasha looked from side to side, his ears twitching.

"What's going on?" he questioned.

Then a wall exploded, hurling chunks of debris towards Inuyasha. He swore, blinking through the dust and saw two shadows running towards him. Momentarily forgetting the creature, he raised his sword in preparation for an attack.

"Get out of the way!" someone yelled, and shoved him aside. He went sprawling in the dust.

Then the dust cleared and Inuyasha found himself looking up at Yusuke. Hiei was behind him, fighting off another one of the creatures. This creature was attacking Hiei full-force, and apparently had already gotten a few hits in judging by Hiei's blood-soaked arm and torso. Yusuke had also been nailed; his left cheek was sporting a nasty gash.

Inuyasha momentarily forgot about the monsters and jumped to his feet, pointing a claw in Yusuke's face.

"What the hell are you doing?" Inuyasha accused. "Where's the shard?"

Yusuke blinked. "What shard?"

Kagome screamed. "Inuyasha, behind you!"

Inuyasha snarled and whirled around to find the first monster leaping at him. He blocked the creature's attack with the sword, barely.

In the time it had taken for Yusuke to knock Inuyasha down, two more creatures had gathered in the palace courtyard. Inuyasha, Yusuke and Hiei found themselves back-to-back, surrounded by four of the mysterious beasts.

"What are they?" Yusuke asked. "My attacks don't work on them."

"The sword also has little effect," Hiei added, his voice sounding strained. "Their wounds heal fast."

Inuyasha snorted. "Let's see if _this_ heals. Wind scar!"

Taking aim at two of the monsters, Inuyasha blasted Tetsusaiga's wind attack with tremendous force. Inuyasha smirked as Hiei and Yusuke watched in awe, but his gloating was short-lived when the monsters flew out of the blinding white light, directly towards them.

"Inuyasha!"


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I love this chapter. It may seem forced in places, but that's 'cause it is. It's still good IMO, but you all can be the judge of that. Enjoy! 

Jewel of Circumstance Chapter 15 

Kaede was kneeling in muddy water; trying to save what vegetables she could from the downpour, when she heard the first screams. The rain had flooded most of her garden, which had been badly damaged by parasites already. Terrible gusts of wind had blown her rain hat away already, but there was no time to chase after it. The rain was getting heavier and the wind more forceful. 

While wading in the mud, she had been thinking about her returning guests and if they had survived putting up with each other. Particularly Inuyasha and the new boy, Yusuke. She felt as though she hadn't had enough time to size up the newcomers before they'd split up and left once again. She hoped they had been able to work together as a team. 

She had been so deep in thought that she almost didn't hear the screams from the village. At first she wasn't sure what she'd heard. Perhaps it was her imagination…but then it was mass hysteria. In the rain, she saw several people fleeing for the woods, which made her think that the river was starting to flood, or there had been a mudslide, or some other natural catastrophe. She quickly gathered the vegetables she'd saved and ran towards the screams. As she ran into the street, she nearly tripped over a body. 

Horrified, she looked down and quickly looked away. It was Haruka…a young mother with two small children. Kaede forced back her anger and tears. There would be time for grieving later; she had to focus now to help these people. Through the rain, Kaede could barely make out shapes of moving figures and more bodies lying motionless. A demonic attack? She couldn't tell, but it didn't matter. She ran as fast as she could to her hut and gathered her bow and arrow. At that moment, a tall figure burst inside. 

The demon didn't have a chance before she shot an arrow through its heart. It fell back, still alive, and she aimed and shot another arrow into its head. Silently, she went over to it and stared. A male. Human in appearance, but its ears were pointed and its eyes were yellowish-green, intelligent-looking. Silver hair. Either dog or fox demon. Without another thought, Kaede pushed the dead demon out of her hut and hurried into the village. 

"Lady Kaede!" 

She turned to see several of the village men with weapons of their own running toward her. Blinking through the rain, she could see claw marks on their arms or faces. 

A young man named Luca joined them a second later, sitting astride a horse. "I shall go for help," he called. Kaede nodded and waved him away, watching briefly as he spurred the horse out of the village. She prayed for his safety. 

She turned to the rest of them. "Be ready," she said. "They may outnumber you but they do not overpower you." 

They nodded, but she could see they were frightened. She was too old to be frightened; she was only concerned for her people. She prayed daily that, in the event of her death, they would be provided with another caregiver who loved them as much as she did. 

They moved through the village, Kaede leading them. The street had suddenly become silent, as though they were the only ones left. Kaede shook that dreadful thought out of her head and kept moving. She held her bow at ready. 

Out of nowhere, an arrow zipped past her and struck one of the men behind her. He screamed and went down. Kaede barked for the rest of them to get down, and they moved behind a hut. 

Silently cursing, Kaede pulled the arrow out of the fallen man; luckily it had struck his shoulder and nothing vital. However, he was bleeding profusely, and she needed to staunch the flow as fast as she could, while keeping the rest of them alive. If only the rain would cease… 

"Kaede, he is failing." 

"I know. But you must not move him." 

Kaede peered around the hut and saw a single figure standing in the street. It was a female, as far as Kaede could tell. She was armed with a bow and arrow. 

"Priestess, that was your only warning! Give me the shards of the Shikon jewel, and I will let the rest of your villagers live." 

Kaede called back to her, angrily. "The jewel shards are not here!" 

"I don't believe you!" the demoness yelled in a mocking, singsong voice. "Hand them over, last warning." 

"You can search our entire village and you will never find the shards," Kaede yelled. "Leave at once!" 

"You ask for your own death, old woman!" the demoness yelled. 

Kaede did not answer. She took her chance, knowing she would never make the shot in a million years, and stepped into the street. She aimed. 

Three seconds seemed to stretch into an eternity as she tried to focus on her target through the rain. Her eyes met that of the demon female and Kaede could see an insane sort of glee as the demon female let go of her arrow. 

The arrow found Kaede's shoulder as Kaede released her own arrow. She watched with some degree of satisfaction as her arrow found its target. There was a smile on her face as she hit the ground, where everything went black.

* * *

Kuwabara sighed as he stared out of a broken window at the rain that kept them from reaching the village. He was looking forward to some real food. That old priestess had made awesome soup, with fresh vegetables. His stomach growled, as if in agreement. 

He had a terrible grinding feeling in his stomach. It wasn't just the hunger; it was something else. It was a feeling that something terrible was going to happen. Normally when he had these feelings, he was right. He wanted to think that things wouldn't get much worse than they already had, but then they hadn't even found that Naraku guy yet. They still had to fight him. He supposed that thinking about that probably wouldn't help his nerves. 

It also didn't help that he had been walking for a solid two weeks, fighting monsters that seemed to come in droves. 

And it didn't help that the previously torrential rain had picked up and was now practically a typhoon. Listening to the howling wind outside only amplified the feeling of dread in his stomach. It didn't help that the sound of the rain above them sounded like the marching footfalls of a thousand demons on their way. 

It didn't help that amidst the deafening sound of the rain, the silence was thick enough to slice with a sword. 

It didn't help that he missed Yukina so much that his heart ached. He had been thinking about her almost constantly during the last few days. Almost like she was calling to him…thinking about him. 

But she couldn't call him, could she? Not when he was stuck in the past. 

Shippou leaned against Kuwabara's leg, which also didn't help, because he felt wet and slimy enough. The little fox demon was exhausted and miserable, just like the rest of them, so it was tolerable, but Kuwabara felt like he was going to be sick. 

Perhaps it was just because he was tired, wet and hungry. Kuwabara was ready to be in his own bed in his own house in his own time. However, they still had a job to do, and he was certain that the worst was yet to come. 

Kuwabara sighed and tried not to think about Yukina. Sweet, beautiful Yukina, who was waiting for him back in his own time. He wished he could see her right then. He wondered how she was and if she was thinking about him. 

Thinking about Yukina didn't make his stomach feel any better; it was still doing flip-flops. He felt that before long he was going to toss his lunch. Not that it had been an appetizing lunch in the first place. 

Maybe that was another reason he felt sick. He was sick of eating fish. He wanted some real food. A steak. Some stir-fry. Good, hot tea. He had to admit the water in this era was deliciously pure, though. 

He wondered how Urameshi and the rest of the other group were getting along. He had had a bad feeling about something for the last few days, adding to all the other stuff on his mind, and was currently not helping his stomach. He didn't like to call himself a psychic, but he had this terrible feeling that something was wrong. Maybe at the village, maybe with the other group. He had made the mental note that if they got to the village and the other group wasn't there, to go looking for them. 

"Kuwabara, are you okay?" Shippou asked, looking up at him. 

He gave the small fox demon a slight grin. "As okay as I can be, I guess. How about you?" 

"I don't feel so good." 

"Same here, little buddy. This rain will be over soon." 

"I hope so." 

Shippou was quiet for a moment before he sighed and said, "I wonder how Kagome is." 

"I'm sure she's fine." 

"I miss her." 

"You don't miss Inuyasha?" 

"No!" Shippou said indignantly. "He's mean and he always hits me." 

"Oh." Kuwabara didn't know what else to say. "I guess that's not very nice." 

Shippou nodded his agreement. He sat in silence for a few more minutes, listening to the rain. He had always liked the rain. For some reason, it had always made him feel more relaxed. The howling wind didn't help him feel relaxed, but he tried to relax as he closed his eyes and leaned against Kuwabara's leg once again, listening to the rain drumming on the roof. Instead of imagining an army, Shippou imagined that it sounded like hoof beats. 

Then he realized it wasn't just his imagination. He really could hear hoof beats. 

He jumped up. "There's someone coming!" he cried. 

Kurama nodded, rising to his feet. "I can hear it, too. There is a man on a horse coming this way. I can smell human blood." 

Kuwabara felt his stomach lurch. There was that feeling of dread again. Someone had been hurt. A lot of people had been hurt. He clutched his stomach and followed the rest of them out into the rain. 

They rushed outside in time to see the horse approaching. They could see the man slumped against the horse's neck, a arrow protruding from his shoulder. His clothing was soaked with blood and ripped as though something had tried to claw him to pieces. Miroku ran into the path of the horse, waving his hands to try to get it stopped. The horse reared, obviously frightened. It was wheezing heavily, having run fast and hard. Miroku caught hold of its reins and tried to calm it down while the others pulled the injured man off of the horse's back. 

"He's still alive!" Sango cried. She and Kurama carried him inside and laid him on the floor. 

Kuwabara could not contain it any longer and ran behind a tree. He vomited until there was nothing left and then continued to dry heave. He wanted nothing more than to be home at that point. 

Inside, Kurama managed to pull the arrow out of the man's shoulder and Sango held a piece of cloth against the wound. The man was crying out in pain and muttering rapidly. 

"Praise Buddha, I found you," the injured man wheezed. "The village…" 

"Shh, don't talk," Sango said softly. "You're safe now. Just lie still…" 

The man sat up quickly and grabbed a fistful of her shirt, pulling her closer. His eyes were wide and unfocused. She cried out and tried to pull back but he was screaming at her now. 

"There' s no time!" he yelled, his eyes dancing, as though he was looking for someone. They were terrified eyes. "No time! The village! Attacked…Lady Kaede…you must go! Don't…no time…" 

"The village has been attacked?" Miroku asked, kneeling beside him. "Lady Kaede? By who…or what?" 

"Demons!" 

The man began to convulse and moaned, obviously in terrible pain. Miroku tried to talk to him again but his eyes had begun to glaze over. Sango finally released herself from his hold and backed away as he began to thrash violently. "What's wrong with him?" 

"He's dying," Kurama said flatly. "This arrow is poison." 

Miroku stood to his feet, his expression grim. "We need to go. There may be survivors." 

"But we can't just leave him!" Sango argued. 

But the man had gone still. Kurama placed a finger to the man's neck. No pulse. "He's gone," he stated. 

Miroku shook his head as he headed for the door. "Then let's go. He was sent to find help and we're it."

* * *

The damage really wasn't as bad as what each of them had imagined, but the general feeling between the five of them was still far from relief. A couple of huts remained, but others had been destroyed. Not by fire, thankfully because of the rain. At least the rain had served some purpose, Kuwabara thought. 

His stomach still rolling, he was not looking forward to going into that village. But he followed the rest of them as they continued walking, their faces grim. Miroku and Sango looked deeply concerned. He knew they would immediately try to find out what happened to the old woman. He was also concerned about her, but he knew that she had been their friend. He wouldn't be as saddened by her death as they would. 

The rain had slowed to a slight drizzle by the time they arrived. Several people were already at work beginning to repair their village, and to bury their dead. Miroku hoped that Kaede was not among those being buried. 

When a villager spotted the group approaching, he immediately ran toward them, waving his arms. He knelt in respect before Miroku, and also out of desperation. 

"Lord Miroku, you've come at last. We did not know when you would be here…we were attacked yesterday. They came out of nowhere. Lady Kaede-" 

"Is she alive?" Sango asked. 

The man nodded grimly. "She lives, but she is near death. She was struck by an arrow. She has survived arrows before, but this…" He dropped his eyes to the ground to hide his tears. 

Kurama nodded. "Poison," he said. "Where is she being kept?" 

"This way. Follow me." 

The villagers had used Kaede's hut as a small hospital, where the women who knew the most about medicine were working to treat the injured. Kaede lay motionless on a small cot, a blanket draped over her. Her shoulder had been wrapped with cloths. Her skin was pallid and her lips nearly white. 

"Kaede…" Sango breathed. "No…" 

A young woman laid a wet cloth on Kaede's forehead and looked at them. "Lord Miroku, Lady Sango…praises to Buddha that you have returned. We have done all we can for her." 

Miroku rubbed his temple wearily. This could not be happening. He tried to think of what to do. He knew that Kagome had left some supplies in the hut, so perhaps there would be something to heal her. But he wouldn't know how to use it. He had the knowledge of healing herbs, but nowhere near the knowledge that Kaede had. And she wasn't much use to herself at the moment. It had to be something fast. 

Kurama laid a hand on his shoulder. "Miroku…I have an idea. But I need your help." 

"I don't think anything can be done for her now," he said quietly. "We were too late." 

"Not necessarily," Kurama replied. "Come with me." 

"Where are we going?" 

"The shrine."

* * *

Kuwabara, Shippou and Sango watched from the shrine entrance as Kurama and Miroku knelt before the shrine. It was where Kikyou's remains had once been buried. It was where the Shikon jewel had once rested. It was a holy place. 

Miroku had been unsure of Kurama's intentions at first, but the fox demon had tried his best to explain what he was about to do. 

"One thing you should know," Kurama said. "I have never attempted this spell, simply because I have never had to. It shouldn't be too complicated, but I cannot do this without a priest, and I can only perform this spell in a temple or shrine. A holy place." 

"What kind of spell?" Miroku asked. 

"A healing plant of the demonic world. It can be very effective for humans. It may be Kaede's only hope." 

"And you can only summon this herb with a priest, and in a temple?" 

"If I do not summon the plant in a holy place, it will have the opposite effect." 

Miroku nodded, and Kurama began the spell. 

Shippou watched with morbid curiosity, as a dim light seemed to surround the two inside the shrine. "What are they doing?" 

"They're trying to heal Kaede," Sango answered. 

"Will it work?" 

"I hope so."

* * *

A pair of bright golden eyes narrowed as they watched from the bushes, their owner gasping for breath as she clutched a clawed hand to the bleeding wound on her shoulder. The old witch was still alive, then. Not for long. And neither would that red-haired brat who kept interfering with her. 

She didn't know who he was or what he had wanted with her, but there was something strange about him that she couldn't quite place. And then when she realized what kind of spell he was casting, her curiosity grew. 

A spell to summon plants of the demonic world. And inside a temple! She had never heard of this, but it was intriguing to her. This nuisance knew what he was doing. She remembered how his eyes reminded her of Amoyo's…gentle yet forceful. Commanding yet humble. 

An arrow in her shoulder was nothing like the pain she felt when she had looked into that boy's eyes; eyes that had seemed ages old. 

It didn't matter. Nothing mattered except finding the bitch that had killed her beloved Amoyo. The red-haired demon boy would not stop her. Neither would the old witch. She would have her revenge. It was only a matter of time.

* * *

Chapter 16 coming soon! 


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Uhh...I updated. Took long enough, didn't it? It's been almost a year! I guess I found time after all. This one is short, but some cool stuff happens. Enjoy. 

Chapter 16

Inuyasha vaguely heard Kagome scream his name, though her voice sounded distant, and in that moment a vision of himself being ripped to pieces flashed through his mind. As sheer instinct took over, he raised his sword in time to keep that vision from coming true – barely. The immense weight of the two beasts drove him back a few steps, and then he cried out as one set of claws escaped and clipped his leg.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed again, and then yelled at Yusuke and Hiei. "Help him, you two!"

"We're sort of busy at the moment," Yusuke yelled back, driving his fist into the side of one monster's head, only to receive an answering blow to his side. Deep gashes gushed blood and he nearly fell but kept his bearings. "We're also getting pulverized."

"Indeed," Hiei answered, as calmly as ever. Yusuke noticed that Hiei's face was deathly pale and he seemed to be faltering. That was alarming. Even more alarming was that he was also beginning to feel woozy and his head was hurting something fierce.

"We need to find a way out of this and fast," Yusuke said, narrowly missing another swipe of those enormous claws.

"Any ideas?" asked Hiei.

"None."

Inuyasha, in the meantime, continued blocking the attacks as best he could. The gashes on his leg were throbbing, or more like _screaming_ in pain, and with each step he was terrified that his leg would buckle and he would be done for. Kagome continued yelling at him, this time to get up and run, and he found he didn't have the strength to yell at her to shut up. He really didn't have the strength for much…barely enough to block the monsters' attacks. He was starting to feel extremely sick to his stomach, and his vision swam in and out of focus.

Kagome was watching the battle unfold, unable to keep from screaming for Inuyasha to run. The other two were not faring well, either, and she was worried about Hiei. He did not look well, and his movements were slow as though he were drugged. Something irked her about the situation and she couldn't quite put her finger on it…something about those monsters.

They had appeared out of nowhere. While she couldn't sense any demonic or holy power within them, she still felt that they had a power she had never sensed before. Like holy energy, but different. They also seemed to be interested only in Inuyasha, Yusuke and Hiei – all three demons, or half-demons in Inuyasha and Yusuke's case. The monsters had no interest in her or Botan, who remained unconscious and whose condition also seemed to be worsening.

Kagome sighed. Things just were not looking good at the moment and she felt helpless as to what to do. She felt she ought to be doing something. She couldn't very well stand by and let her friends get killed by these things. But what could she do? The monsters were immune to her holy arrows, and she couldn't very well shoo them off.

That thought actually made her giggle when she imagined herself running after the monsters yelling "Shoo! Shoo!" Laughing made her feel guilty. This wasn't exactly a humorous situation.

And then she saw one of the beasts approach Hiei, who was currently slashing away in vain at another one of the monsters. Hiei did not notice the beast, which approached from behind.

"Hiei!" she shouted. "Behind you!"

As if on cue, the beast leaped at him, claws and teeth bared. In one swift movement, Hiei whirled around, and, as if in slow motion, Kagome watched as his sword sliced through the monster's neck. The head came off clean and landed a few feet away. The body fell to the ground in a slump. She screamed and felt bile rise in her throat, and she had to quickly look away from the gruesome sight.

There was a few seconds when everyone else stopped, including the other beasts, and stared at the fallen one. It did not move, and it soon became apparent that it was dead.

"Hey, you killed it!" Yusuke cried.

"So that's how they die," Inuyasha said thoughtfully, grinning an evil grin as he swung the Tetsusaiga with renewed fervor. "Works for me!"

Inuyasha and Hiei made short work of the rest of the beasts, easily chopping off their heads now that they knew their weaknesses. Once the deed was done, all three of them slumped to the ground.

"Thank goodness," Kagome said, breathing a sigh of relief. She grabbed her knapsack with the medical supplies and ran over to them. She opened her mouth to ask if they were alright, but Inuyasha interrupted her.

"Kagome, don't move."

Confused, she stopped. "Why?"

"Because we're surrounded," Hiei replied, his sword at ready. He shakily stood to his feet, and Kagome could see that he was fighting very hard not to pass out.

Inuyasha and Yusuke also stood very slowly, and she could see the flush on Inuyasha's cheeks. His teeth were clenched as if in pain.

And then the sound of clapping broke through, and they all looked toward the sound.

Koenma stood at the entrance to the castle, a smug grin on his face, clapping his hands in mock applause.

"Koenma…" Yusuke uttered.

"Koenma?" Kagome repeated, confused. "The spirit world ruler?" And then she saw it – three Shikon shards hidden in the folds of his clothes. She nearly mentioned it, but something told her to remain silent for now. Perhaps it was the cold, calculating look on his face. He did not look like the generous ruler Yusuke and the others had spoken of.

"Congratulations," Koenma said smoothly. "You've destroyed my guardians. I at least give you, the short one, credit for discovering their weakness, albeit by accident. However, it is a shame you all still have to die."

"You're not actually going to fight us," Yusuke said, remembering how Koenma always refused to fight before, all but one time…

Koenma shook his head. "Of course not. I don't have to. You three will die without my lifting a finger. You see, the beasts of the spirit world, or guardians, as they are called, are bred specifically to attack and injure demons. Their claws secrete a substance poisonous to demons, or those with demon blood. All they had to do was scratch you, and in a matter of days you three will die horrible, terrible deaths."

"You're lying!" Inuyasha yelled, yet he could see it on the young royal's face…he wasn't lying. Looking at Yusuke and especially Hiei, he could see on their faces what he felt, as well…the sickness.

Kagome stared at the spirit world ruler, unbelieving. "You're seriously going to let them die? They've done nothing to you!"

Koenma turned and looked at her as though seeing her for the first time. "Young priestess, why do you concern yourself with these monsters?" he asked, ignoring her question. "Surely you were not keeping company with them by your own will."

"Of course I was!" she argued angrily, and pointed a finger at them. "They're my friends."

"Friends!" Koenma laughed bitterly. "Foolish child! They would be your friend one moment and slice you into pieces the next!"

"They've had ample opportunity and haven't yet," she said with conviction.

"Merely because they need you for some reason. And what reason would that be? Perhaps it is because you see the jewel of four souls?"

Kagome's eyes widened in disbelief and shock. "H-how did you know I could see the jewel?"

He smiled. "I have my ways, young priestess."

"Then you must also know why we travel together. We all seek the shards to defeat the demon Naraku, who also possesses shards of the jewel," Kagome replied.

That seemed to stump him. He was silent for a moment before answering, "Indeed, I know of Naraku."

"Then why haven't you done anything about him?" Inuyasha snarled.

Koenma regarded Inuyasha for a moment and said nothing. He turned back to Kagome and stared at her thoughtfully. "You alone would have the power to defeat and yet you rely on these vermin to save you? I find that hard to believe, young priestess. Why do you defend them?"

"I told you, they are my friends," Kagome insisted. "No, I'm not brainwashed and they're not holding anything of mine ransom. I came to know Inuyasha because of the jewel. He might have started out bad but he's come a long way."

"Hey!" Inuyasha yelled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Kagome ignored him and continued. "As for Yusuke and Hiei, they joined us a short while ago but I've come to trust them."

"Is that so?" Koenma said, smiling. "You say you trust them with your life, young priestess?"

"I do."

"Would you like to test that belief? In exchange for their lives."

Kagome blinked. "What do you mean?"

Inuyasha felt a twinge of worry. Test? "Yeah, what does that mean?" he asked.

Koenma glared at him again and Inuyasha found that for once he felt compelled to keep silent. Something about those eyes spooked him…

"It's a simple test, really," the spirit world ruler stated. "They will have three days until the poison spreads through their system and eventually kills them. To stop the poison from spreading, they must find the Temple of Sorrows in the valley east of here. The temple is extremely difficult to find and heavily guarded by traps as well as some of the finest warriors of the spirit world. It is a temple valuable to my people for many reasons, but it contains a cure for the poison. If they find the temple, they will live. However, there is one condition."

"What's that?"

"If they do not return by the sunset of the third day, I will be forced to take your life."

"My…life?" she gulped.

Koenma nodded. "I regret to take the life of such a talented priestess, for there are so few in this world, but I fear you may be too far gone. You will learn that the company of demons is nothing to keep."

"How will killing me teach me anything?" Kagome argued, angry and frightened. "You're a lunatic."

He shrugged. "You said it yourself that you trust them with your life. I'm merely testing them to see for myself if that is true."

"But, they're ill. How can they travel in that condition, let alone fight anything?"

Koenma looked at the three of them as they crouched on the ground, barely able to stand. The poison would spread in the three days it would take for them to reach the temple. In all reality, it was possible the half-demons would be able to withstand the poison in their system and overcome it, but it was unlikely the short demon would live.

"If they want to live, and if they want you to live, they will go, and they will fight," Koenma replied. "Now hurry," he told them.

"You sick bastard," Inuyasha growled as he stood to his full height. "You'll regret this when we get back."

"I'm sure I will," Koenma said calmly, a smug smirk on his face.

Kagome watched them stand to their feet. "Are you okay with this?" she asked.

"It doesn't look like we have a choice," Yusuke said apologetically. "Kagome, I'm sor-"

"Don't say it," she said. "Just hurry, but be careful." She handed Hiei a small bottle of penicillin, not really sure if it would help, but hopeful. "Here, take two every eight hours. It might help." He took it without a word, yet gave her a grim, weak nod in reply. She watched helplessly as he joined the other two, walking away, and she didn't know if she'd ever see them again.

* * *

The three walked in silence. For once Inuyasha and Yusuke had no insults or barbs to fling at each other. Even if they had, neither one had the strength or the desire to waste what precious energy they had left. They each could feel the poison slowly overtaking them and if that wasn't enough to think about, they all envisioned Kagome's face first and foremost.

Inuyasha couldn't believe this was happening. And for what? A silly test of their loyalty? He really hated that Koenma at the moment, and swore that if – no, when – he returned, he was going to beat that smug bastard into submission and make him rue the day he crossed _**this**_ half-demon.

Nevertheless, he couldn't help but hope that if for some reason – and it had better be a damn good reason – they didn't make it back in time…that Kagome knew he hadn't abandoned her. He would never…

* * *

Well...hoped that was enjoyable. Hopefully it won't be as long until the next chapter. 


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: So, updates are coming a bit faster now that I've sort of been hit with some inspiration. This chapter really isn't all that eventful, just some character development and filler stuff so I could concentrate on Chapter 18, which will be coming soon. Thanks to X-over for proofing. 

Oh and to the anonymous person who left me that fantastic flame, hoe incompetent, indeed? Next time you might want to flame the actual _story_, as it would be a little more worth your time, though not quite as hilarious to me. But I did change the summary, anyway, because it needed it, so I hope it's to your liking.

**Chapter 17**

There was blood everywhere, and ten-year-old Kaede ran through it without even noticing. Bodies lay strewn in the street and she ignored them. Her right eye throbbed, rendered completely useless by a piece of flying debris caused by the explosion, but she ignored it, as well. She only wanted to be by her sister's side. Kikyo would know what to do. Kikyo would keep her safe.

Panting, she ran until she saw the group of people gathered near the shrine's entrance. Raw panic shot through her. No…no, that wasn't Kikyo kneeling on the ground. That wasn't blood gushing from what looked like claw marks on her shoulder. No…Kikyo couldn't be injured. But Kikyo was strong, she would live.

Crying now, Kaede ran to her fallen sister and pleaded with Kikyo to get up.

"Sister, please, you have to get these wounds treated. I can do it, you've showed me how – "

"Kaede there's no time!" Kikyo interrupted and Kaede stared at her blankly. Kikyo was…giving up? That…that wasn't possible! None of this was happening, soon she'd wake up and it would all be a dream –

But Kikyo was talking again, her voice fading. "Take this, Kaede," she said, handing her the Shikon Jewel. Kaede stared at it, not understanding. She only understood that her sister was dying.

"You must burn it with my body, so that it will never fall into the wrong hands again," Kikyo said. And with that, her eyes closed, and Kaede watched in horror as her sister – her guardian, her only family – slumped to the ground. Kaede screamed.

* * *

And when Kaede's eyes flew open, more than fifty years later, the first thing she thought was that the jewel should have stayed destroyed and Kikyo should have remained dead.

It took her a moment to realize where she was and that she was not dead, herself. She was in her cabin, alone, and she was gradually starting to feel a great deal of pain. Groaning, she tried to move, and decided that that was not such a good idea.

As she narrowed down the greatest source of her pain – her left shoulder – she finally remembered what had happened to the village. Her initial feeling of relief that she was alive was immediately replaced by the knowledge that her village was practically destroyed and many of her people killed. For what, she thought bitterly. Jewel shards that were not even in the village.

Kaede pushed aside her anger and made up her mind to concentrate on healing. She would be no good to the remaining villagers if she did not heal.

She briefly wondered how she had survived the poison arrow. She should have died – very few humans, if any, could withstand such a wound. She considered it a great miracle.

Strange, also, that she would dream of Kikyo at a time like this. Perhaps it was her own brush with death that triggered the memory of her sister's own terrible demise, which had haunted Kaede's dreams for several years.

Having spent most of her 60 years as a priestess, Kaede considered herself blessed to have lived as long as she had. Her poor sister had died at such a young age – only 18. Yet Kikyo had been wise beyond her years. Kaede knew that her powers did not come close to matching those of her sister's, but she worked hard nevertheless to protect those she cared about.

She and Kikyo had been orphaned when Kaede was an infant, and Kikyo had raised her until her death. The harshness of a land torn apart by war and destruction left many orphans to fend for themselves, and they did. After Kikyo's death, Kaede lived with the knowledge of all that Kikyo had taught her, and at age thirteen, she left the village to train as a priestess, following in her sister's footsteps.

Life as a priestess was not easy, and Kaede had been plagued by loneliness and solitude, despite the hundreds of people she had helped during her life's journey. There was no husband, no children of her own. There were few close friends. She was respected and admired, yet utterly alone, and she eventually came to understand her sister's suffering, why Kikyo had been drawn to Inuyasha. In him, Kikyo had found a kindred spirit, and in turn he had lifted that burden of loneliness, if only for a time. For awhile, though such a brief while, Kaede remembered that her sister had been truly happy. The smile on her face had no longer been forced, but genuine and peaceful.

Kaede wasn't sure why she had dreamt of Kikyo. For years, she had relived the day her sister died, each night awakened by her own cries. At last the nightmares faded and were less frequent. As part of her life's duty as a priestess, Kaede had vowed to ensure that her sister was allowed to rest in peace.

And she had failed. Perhaps that was why her dreams had resurfaced. Try as she might to avoid it, she often thought of Kikyo, her soul torn and in limbo, to wander the earth until someone took it upon themselves to put her soul to rest.

Kaede had often felt resentment toward Inuyasha for not taking that responsibility, after all he had shared with her, for him to leave her in her current state was cruel in Kaede's eyes. Yet at the same time she realized that he still loved her, despite his obvious love for Kagome. And also, she doubted that even she would be able to bring herself to kill her beloved sister, even if that was not the Kikyo she once knew.

Sighing, Kaede closed her eyes, feeling exhausted and wishing to escape the pain for a little while. Her shoulder throbbed mercilessly, the pain consuming her entire body. After a few moments, she heard the paper door rustle, and she opened her eyes to see a pair of bright green ones staring at her.

"Hello Shippou," she said wearily, but with a small smile.

Those eyes brightened and the little fox demon whooped with joy and began running around in circles, chanting, "Kaede's awake, Kaede's awake!" Finally, he ran outside the cabin, still chanting. Kaede could not help but chuckle.

Shortly after, the paper door rustled again, and Sango entered, followed by Shippou and Miroku.

"Thank goodness," Sango said, smiling with relief. "We're so glad to have you back, Kaede. How are you feeling?"

"Sore and tired, but I'll live. A miracle that is."

"You can thank Kurama for that miracle," Sango said. "He has great skill with plants and herbs."

"Indeed, he must. I shall thank him. Where are he and the other…and what of Inuyasha's group?"

"Kurama and Kuwabara have devoted their time to village repairs," said Miroku. "As for Inuyasha's group – they haven't returned yet. We were talking about going to search for them if they do not return in a few days."

"That sounds like a good idea," Kaede said. "Though I'm sure they will be fine." Miroku and Sango nodded, though they looked doubtful. Kaede also did not quite agree with herself – she had a strange feeling, and hoped it was merely paranoia.

"The villagers have told us what happened here," Miroku said, changing the subject. "They said it was a fox demon tribe that attacked."

"Yes. Silver foxes. Their leader was female."

Miroku nodded. "We believe this particular tribe has been on a rampage, destroying villages and slaughtering innocent people. So far they haven't left any survivors that we know of, except this village. This village was fortunate."

"Yes, though many of the villagers were not" Kaede replied. "We must see to it that those who died are given a proper burial - "

"I have seen to that, Lady Kaede," Miroku said, closing his eyes in reverence.

Kaede smiled a little. "Thank you." There was a moment of uneasy silence before Kaede asked, "Did you find any clues to Naraku's whereabouts?"

"Unfortunately, no," Sango said. "Nor did we locate anymore jewel shards. I'm afraid our journey was slightly fruitless."

"I wouldn't say that," Miroku said. "Every journey has a purpose."

"Quite right," Kaede agreed, her voice weak and fading. Her eyes drooped as she succumbed to her exhaustion. "I am tired. Let me sleep awhile."

They nodded and left her to rest, stepping outside the cabin.

"I am glad she is healing," Sango said solemnly. "I do not want to imagine what would have happened if..."

"Kurama really proved himself, didn't he?" Shippou boasted, looking proud. "And you all didn't trust him. I knew he was a good guy from the start."

Miroku smiled, his eyes thoughtful as he gazed at Sango. "Yes, what Kurama has done for Kaede certainly does merit trust. After all, we had no other choice at the moment, and he could have easily poisoned her. But he didn't."

"So does that mean you trust him now?" Shippou asked.

"I think perhaps he deserves it," Sango replied. "Don't you, Miroku?"

"I suppose so, but..." his voice trailed off and he turned his gaze to the sky, still looking thoughtful. "There's something about him that bothers me."

"What's that?" Sango asked.

"I'm not exactly sure. Perhaps I'm not being fair. Not only did he save Kaede from certain death, he has proven highly reliable in battle. I think he passes, for now."

"Good," Shippou said, beaming.

* * *

The demon in question was, in the meantime, throwing himself into rebuilding the village. While he had never bothered with craftsmanship or manual labor, he found himself picking up on it fast, and was actually enjoying it. Already he had mended several roofs, patched siding, reconstructed fences and more, and felt as if he could go on for hours. Which he did, long after nightfall.

As he was perched on the roof of a badly burned house, two men walked by, whispering. Kurama could easily overhear their conversation, though he gave no indication that he could. He heard one ask the other how "that red-haired boy could still see to work in the dark." He smiled to himself and continued working.

He enjoyed the work mainly because he felt partly responsible for what had happened to these poor villagers. After hearing the story of the attack, it had not taken him long to realize who had led the group of fox demons. Had he been able to put a stop to Akita's nonsense before, this never would have happened.

Logic tried to convince the rest of his mind that none of this was his fault, and he supposed that was true. Still, he was nonetheless indirectly involved, and felt the need to make up for his mother's crimes in whatever way he could.

Besides, the work also took his mind off of things, which he was grateful for, as he had way too many things to think about.

And when he finally decided to stop working for the day and head back to Kaede's cabin, his mind once again was flooded with the many issues at hand…one of which was walking toward him on an otherwise empty street. He smiled as he approached her.

"Good evening, Sango."

She returned his smile. "Likewise to you. I was on my way to tell you that dinner is ready. We were wondering when you would stop working – everyone else is waiting on you."

"I'm sorry to keep you all waiting," Kurama apologized. "I suppose I lost track of time."

"Don't apologize. It's very kind of you to lend a hand. There aren't many able-bodied men left in this village."

"That's true," Kurama frowned and looked away.

Sango bit her lip, debating whether or not to ask the question that had been nagging her. "Kurama..."

"Yes?"

She paused. "Was it…_**her**_?"

He stared at her sadly for a moment. "Yes."

She nodded and looked down at the ground awkwardly. "Listen, I…I know it must be hard - "

"Don't worry," he assured her. "I will do what needs to be done. She must be stopped."

She looked up to meet his eyes, which seemed to have an unnatural glow in the moonlight. She hadn't meant to make him feel defensive about it, though she imagined he already felt that way.

"I just wanted to let you know that if you need any help –," she continued, but he interrupted her again.

"That won't be necessary. She is my responsibility. I must resolve this alone…" he trailed off when he saw the dejected look on her face and instantly felt guilty. "It's not that I don't appreciate your offer, you see…I just can't expect anyone else to fully understand the situation. It must be handled with care."

"I do understand," she said, and he was startled to see tears in her eyes. "My brother, Kohaku…Naraku controls him through a shard of the Shikon Jewel in his back. He would die if it were removed."

She sighed shakily. "Naraku destroyed everything that I held dear, and now the only family I have left is a threat to me and my friends. I have to kill him…if only to keep him out of Naraku's hands, but..."

Kurama's eyes softened and he offered her a gentle smile. "But you love him, and don't want to lose him."

She nodded, looking down at her feet.

He laid a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him, once again staring into those deep, deep eyes.

"Don't lose hope," he said softly, and walked away. She stared after him for a few moments, a small smile on her lips, before following him.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Here it is, Chapter 18. Not much happens. Mostly filler with lots of dialogue. Oh, and I should probably warn those of you who wanted to see the seven mercenaries...they won't be in this fic. Sorry...I have enough characters to write and this story won't be going in that direction. So basically this fic is set as an Inuyasha AU just before that arc started.

**Jewel Chapter 18**

If there was one thing that Inuyasha took pride in, it was his persistence in the face of adversity. His stubbornness came from his mother, who had practically drilled him as a child to never give up no matter what. She had insisted that there would always be a way out of danger. Always. Even if it meant running away, which he nevertheless refused to resort to. And thus far she had been right. In all of the seemingly impossible situations he had been in, there had always been a way out of them. He vowed that this would be no different.

Lately, thoughts of his mother had weighed heavily on his mind, for reasons unknown. Perhaps because his memories of her had started to fade. He had been very young when she died. She had died before her hair saw one white strand and before her face became lined with age. Though she had fallen ill, Inuyasha had always believed that she simply lost her will to live, going against all that she had taught him. Despite his fierce love for her, he admittedly still harbored resentment against her because of it. To this day, deep down, he felt as though she'd abandoned him.

Kikyo was the only one who had managed to break through that resentment after he vehemently refused to be close to anyone else. He had been ready to give up his quest to become full demon for her, and only for her. It had seemed that each time he looked at her, his desire for pure demon blood seemed to fade away. He had been ready to stop the running, stop the fighting, and become human only for her. He would have done anything for her.

And despite his resentment toward her, he still loved her, just as he loved his mother. He would always love both of them, even in death.

He knew he was a fool. Despite his ignorant façade, he knew Kagome loved him and would gladly give her life for him. That was mostly why he chose not to accept her love…it was foolish of her to offer it. All who had loved him had ended up dead, or worse in Kikyo's case. He refused to allow Kagome to die for his sake and he certainly wasn't going to let it happen now.

"Do you have any idea where this temple is?" Yusuke's voice broke through Inuyasha's thoughts.

"Of course not," Inuyasha bit back, sounding less angry than he'd intended. He didn't have the strength to fight, and it didn't look as though Yusuke did, either. His limbs felt sluggish, though he didn't feel quite as sick as he initially felt. He thought Hiei looked the worst of all of them. The fire demon looked alarmingly frail and ill. He seemed to be focusing all of his energy on simply walking.

"We are heading in the right direction, though, right?" Yusuke pressed.

"How the hell should I know? I've never even heard of this 'temple', and I don't even know if it exists. For all I know that bastard just made it up, but that's all we have to go on so let's just keep moving east in the direction he told us to go."

Yusuke sighed in frustration. He wasn't getting anywhere with Inuyasha, who walked ahead of them and seemed to be in his own little world. It made him more than a little angry, since they were all in this situation together whether Inuyasha liked it or not. Yusuke wasn't exactly happy with it, either.

He wasn't really worried about the poison, yet. Of course he felt terribly sick and had sustained more than a few serious injuries, but he was more worried about finding this temple, if it truly existed, and then he would worry about getting through its guards. He was also very worried about Hiei. He had never seen the fire demon look so terrible. Hiei was usually very resilient, but this poison seemed to be affecting him the worst.

"You really don't look good," Yusuke said to him. "Are you sure you don't want to wait for us?"

Hiei silently shook his head.

"Did you take Kagome's pills?"

Hiei nodded. "Two."

"No effect?"

Another silent 'no', and Yusuke dropped the questions for now. Instead, he glanced at Hiei's arm, which the fire demon had roughly bandaged with part of his shirt, and saw that it was still seeping blood. He wasn't healing, which worried Yusuke, and he wished they could stop to rest, but they had no time. And Yusuke knew Hiei would rather die than admit weakness of any sort.

Yusuke wondered why the poison was affecting Hiei the worst. He thought it might be because of his injuries, but quickly threw out that idea. Yusuke and Inuyasha both had received a fair amount of gashes from those damn monsters and yet neither of them looked as bad as Hiei. Yusuke merely felt weaker than usual and his head hurt like hell. He actually felt _better_ than he had initially, if that were possible.

As they continued to walk in silence, he kept casting glances at Hiei and wondering about Koenma. The underworld prince just wasn't himself. Yusuke had never seen such a fierce hatred of demons. Koenma hadn't been like that. And why had Koenma insisted that the spirit world would never hire a demon, and then threaten to kill a human simply to prove a point? It was true that the spirit world was against hiring demons as spirit detectives, yet Koenma had given him the position once more. The extreme hatred just wasn't like Koenma and Yusuke couldn't figure out just what the hell his problem was.

He had the feeling that Koenma was putting on an act, to an extent. He was quite sure that while Koenma would probably kill demons at this point, he would never in his life harm a human. Koenma had an enormous soft spot for humans. Yusuke hoped he was right about that, because he never would have imagined Koenma like this in the first place. Still, he was willing to believe in his intuition, for now.

"Hey, Inuyasha," he said cautiously.

"What?" Inuyasha snapped, glaring back at him.

"I really don't think he'll hurt Kagome."

Inuyasha snorted and kept walking. "You heard that bastard. He said he would kill her if we didn't return in time. What makes you think he wouldn't?"

"I think he really wants to kill us, but not her. I'm not sure what this test is all about, but I don't think he would ever hurt a human."

"What makes you so sure?"

Yusuke sighed. "Well…I'm not a hundred percent sure…but listen, I know him. At least I used to…or I do, in the future…_anyway_, I _do_ know that he has an enormous soft spot for humans. He loves humans. A lot. More than you could know. Basically, that's what my job as a spirit world detective is all about – protecting humans from demons."

"But you're half-demon, right?" Inuyasha asked, looking at least mildly interested. "So why would he hire you?"

"He didn't know. My demon blood wasn't awakened until I was killed."

Inuyasha stopped and turned around, staring at him like he'd grown another head. "Uh, what the hell are you talking about? Killed?"

Yusuke shrugged. "Yeah, I know it sounds pretty farfetched, but it's true. To sum it up, I had a spirit world guardian who brought me back to life, and in doing so, it brought out my demon side. I found out that I was the descendent of a demon lord back in the day, and apparently that demon blood was dormant until I was resurrected."

He could tell Inuyasha was still confused. The dog demon was staring at him now with an expression of half-disbelief and half-horror, as though Yusuke would suddenly grow giant claws and attack him. Yusuke supposed it was a pretty strange story, one that he probably wouldn't believe, either, if it hadn't happened to him.

"Uh, what's wrong?" he asked.

Inuyasha shook his head as if trying to clear it. "Look, I have no idea what the hell you're talking about, but there is _no way_ that you're a descendent of a demon lord."

"How is that so unbelievable? Aren't _you _the son of a demon lord? _You_ certainly don't look it."

"Keep your mouth shut, asshole – you don't have any idea what you're talking about."

"I could say the same thing about you."

Inuyasha's hand went to the hilt of his sword, but he knew this was a complete waste of time, and there were more urgent issues at the moment. For once, he didn't feel like fighting over this sort of thing. He sighed and crossed his arms again. "So tell me about this so-called ancestor of yours."

"All I know is that he was a bigwig in the demon world until he died."

"So? Who was he?"

"His name was Raizen."

Inuyasha shrugged. "Never heard of him. Forget it. Let's get back to why you think that Koenma bastard won't hurt Kagome. You say it's because he loves humans, so why would he threaten to kill her if he loves humans so much?"

"I think it's all a big act."

"And what if you're wrong?"

"I won't be." _Hopefully._

Not convinced, Inuyasha shrugged and continued walking. Yusuke followed him, his thoughts drifting to his demon ancestor.

He hadn't spent much time with the demon lord before Raizen had died, so of course he wouldn't know much about him.. He sort of regretted it, but at the time he'd been concentrating on winning the demon world tournament. Besides, Raizen hadn't exactly been in his right mind. At the end, he had developed a sense of peace, almost as though he craved death. Yusuke wished he had gotten to know him better, the one who had inadvertently granted him not only his strength, but also his second chance at life.

Yusuke smiled to himself and wondered if their paths would ever cross again.

* * *

With the sun settling on the horizon, Koenma sipped a bowl of sake as he watched Kagome pace back and forth in his courtyard. It had been several hours since her demon companions had left in search of their cure and he had tried to make her understand that even if they did return in three days, which he doubted, all she could do was wait. He had been very cordial to her – inviting her for a meal, offering a soft bed to rest on. But she refused to speak to him or look at him, nor would she leave the courtyard. He had eventually settled on watching her. 

He wondered why a priestess, especially one with such magnificent holy power, would travel with demons in the first place. She seemed intelligent enough. Did she not understand what monsters they were? Complete and utter filth. He hated all demons of all kinds. Perhaps she had been corrupted. It bothered him that one with power such as hers would waste it fighting alongside demons. It made him feel slightly ill and very, very angry.

His eyes eventually strayed to the unconscious girl lying in the crook of the large tree. She appeared to be injured and if he wasn't mistaken, he could detect very faint spirit energy. Another of his people? It wasn't hard to believe…those of the spirit world had been scattered ever since their world's destruction, forced to live among humans. Most disguised themselves as humans to avoid attracting demons that sought to kill them.

Koenma preferred his human form, as he felt a close kinship with the human race. His mother, after all, had been human. Not to mention that the human world had been their refuge. Until the spirit world could be restored to its former glory, the human world would remain their refuge.

He was certain that the unconscious girl was, indeed, of the spirit world. He wondered what she had been doing with that group and how she had been injured. The white-haired half-demon had been carrying her and somehow he didn't think any of the three demons had harmed her. They had seemed to be protecting and caring for her, which he supposed he should take into consideration.

Still, she was better off without them. He decided he should move her into the castle to have her injuries treated. She would be properly cared for by his best healers.

He stood to his feet and walked calmly to where Kagome paced back and forth. She looked up and jumped a little when she saw him approaching. He stopped.

"Do not worry," he said, holding up one hand in a show of peace. "I merely wanted to help the girl. She is very ill and we can care for her."

Kagome glared at him. "How do I know you'll help her?"

He smiled. "She is one of my people. We do not harm our own."

"That's wonderful," she muttered, looking away. He watched her as she continued to pace, studying her.

Her face was drawn and pale, her lips pursed in frustration. There were dark circles under her eyes, which were red and puffy from crying. She looked miserable. Whether she was corrupted or not, he felt some compassion for her.

He knelt down and gently gathered Botan in his arms. She uttered something incoherent and winced in pain. He then turned to Kagome, who was watching him. "Come with me," he said, andhis tone of voicemade it clear to her that this time it was not an offer - it was an order. She seemed to realize that and followed him into the palace without a word.

He led her through the dimly-lit hallways and she followed silently. She was trying hard to remain optimistic. That had always been her specialty. If there was an impossible situation, somehow it could be made possible. That was her motto. Even if this situation seemed impossible, she had to have faith in Inuyasha, Yusuke and Hiei. She had to believe that they would all come back for her.

But it wasn't easy to remain optimistic. When they had left, they had all seemed so exhausted, especially Hiei. He had looked too weak to stand, let alone to fight through a brigade of spirit world guards that Koenma claimed guarded the temple. The other two had simply looked battle-weary. They all had suffered extensive wounds during the fight with those spirit world beasts, and there had been no time for her to treat them before they left. Thinking about that only renewed her anger and she glared at the back of Koenma's head as she followed him.

She was exhausted, herself, and couldn't remember the last time she'd slept. She felt she was too worried to sleep now, anyway. Wondering if Inuyasha, Yusuke and Hiei would come back. Wondering how the other group was faring. Wondering if Botan would survive. It was almost too much to bear, to the point that she felt like breaking down into hysterical tears.

But she wouldn't give this Koenma the opportunity to see her break. Obviously, she had no reason to trust him, though his personality seemed different than before.However, if she was going to die, she was going to die with dignity.

Finally, Koenma entered a small room that was instantly illuminated. He laid Botan on a futon and covered her gently. The gesture held such tenderness that Kagome's anger softened a little. She watched, intrigued, as he placed a hand gently on Botan's pale forehead and spoke softly in a language she did not understand. Then, he stood to his feet and walked out of the room, beckoning for Kagome to follow him.

"She will be well taken care of," he assured her as he led her back through the maze of hallways.

"What was that you did then?" she asked.

He glanced back at her and smiled. "That wasa prayer of healing, which will also help to ward off whatever evil consumes her."

"Will she be alright?" Kagome asked.

"I do not know. I can only guarantee that we will try."

"What would happen to her if…if she…"

"If she died?" Koenma smiled bitterly. "No, she will not die. However, in her case, her soul would perish and she would cease to exist."

Kagome gasped in horror. "You mean she'd…disappear?"

"Not quite. Her soul would be taken over by the demonic energy that consumes her body. Therefore, she would cease to exist as you knew her."

"You mean she'd become…?"

"A demon, yes, but mindless and bloodthirsty. It would not be a pleasant sight."

Kagome felt chills run through her. She could say nothing else as she continued to follow him through the torch-lit hallways. After a few moments, he came to a set of sliding doors and moved one aside. Beyond was a large room where a meal had been prepared for them. As the scent of food drifted past, Kagome was suddenly ravenous. But she waited, glancing nervously at Koenma.

"Please don't hesitate on my account," he said, gesturing toward the room, and she rushed in without a second thought. As she wolfed her meal down, he sat across from her and nibbled on his slowly, watching her with a small smile playing on his lips. When she was finished, he slid his portion over to her without a word and she immediately ate what was left. When she was finished with that, she sat back, satisfied, but still troubled.

"Was the food to your liking?" he asked.

She forced a smile and replied honestly, "It was delicious."

"I'm glad. I hope you will continue to join me for meals during the next few days."

She frowned and looked away. "I guess I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Of course you do. You are not a prisoner here; you're a guest. Also, I am not a monster, such as those you so willingly travel with and call your friends."

"They're not monsters," she replied, clenching her fists in an attempt to quell her anger. "They've done more good for the sake of humanity than any human I know. And **_they_** haven't made any threats on my life." Which wasn't exactly true, as Inuyasha had threatened her on more than one occasion. But Koenma didn't need to know that.

"They are cold blooded killers and always will be," Koenma said calmly, yet his eyes were cold and seemed to pierce through her. "No demon anywhere, at any time, would think twice about killing for their own personal gain. They slaughter humans without a glimmer of remorse. They hunt those from the spirit world mercilessly. They even kill each other if it serves their purpose."

Kagome stood to her feet, tears of rage welling in her eyes. "So you don't consider killing me as serving your own purpose? To prove what so-called 'monsters' my friends are?"

He stared at her before smiling slightly. "You said yourself that you trust your friends. Should they return in three days, your life will be spared. And I must admit, I do not relish the thought of killing you. I can see that you are an intelligent, strong young woman, though a bit misled. It would be a shame to allow spirit power such as yours to go to waste."

"Spirit power? You mean my priestess abilities?"

"Indeed. Where do you think that power comes from? You draw your strength from the spirit world. Few humans are born with such a gift, and those who have it must use it for the sake of their people, to protect and serve. Not to defend those who would cause harm."

"They wouldn't hurt anyone!"

"But they have." Koenma's smile was almost sad. "I smell the blood on their hands, strong and putrid. They have killed and would kill again and you would still defend them. Tell me, young priestess, can you truly look me in the eyes and tell me you have never been afraid of them, particularly the one you refer to as Inuyasha?"

Kagome frowned. Of course she had been afraid of Inuyasha, many times…especially when his demon blood had taken over. But he hadn't been himself at the time, right? Though…would she still trust him if he didn't wear the rosary beads? She had a way to subdue him now…but she wouldn't be afraid of him even if he were to break free of the binding spell…would she?

She met Koenma's eyes, unflinching, and said, "I have been afraid of him, yes. But I wouldn't now. He has changed."

"So you say." Koenma said. "But you can subdue him, correct? You would not be able to control him without those beads around his neck."

"I wouldn't have to control him!" she insisted, inwardly wondering how Koenma knew so much about Inuyasha. "He would be the same person if those beads came off."

Koenma shook his head sadly. "My dear, naïve child. Why did you have to put those beads on him to begin with? No matter what you may believe, _that_ was his true nature. This is merely a façade, orchestrated until he can find a way to achieve whatever ultimate goal he may have. You see, I understand that not all demons are killing machines driven by blood lust. There are those who are cold, calculating and devious, willing to undertake any deception to obtain what they want. Whether it is wealth, power, etc. It matters not."

"Aren't humans the same way?" Kagome asked. "I have seen humans in positions of power cause more destruction than any demon could."

"The human world is in chaos because demons have been allowed to roam free. One day I will put all of them in their place – back to the stinking world where they belong."

Kagome threw up her hands in disgust. "And you call me naïve! How often do you even leave your comfortable little palace to see what really goes on in the world? I've traveled all over this country and I've seen killers of all kinds, including humans! Inuyasha is not one of them, and neither are Yusuke and Hiei. I trust them with my life. They'll come back for me and you'll see."

Koenma regarded her somewhat sadly. "They may return for you…they seem resilient enough…but for what purpose? My dear, they are using you for their own selfish gain. No demon acts out of a compassionate, unconditional motive. As I said, they will use whatever means necessary to accomplish their goal."

"We all have the same goal – to defeat Naraku. Is that selfish that we would want to protect this world from Naraku's destruction?"

"I know of Naraku," Koenma said."Your group has traveled throughout this country in search of that abomination, always one step behind him. And if I recall, is it not your fault that he possesses shards of the jewel at all?"

Kagome reeled as though she'd been slapped, her face turning bright red. He couldn't have possibly said anything worse to her. "H-how do you know about that?"

"I have watched you, Kagome Higurashi, and your little group," Koenma stated. "I know all about you and about them. I know that Inuyasha is the son of the great white demon lord of the Western lands, where his other son reigns, a fearsome and heartless creature. I know that you came to this land with the jewel embedded in your body because you are the priestess Kikyo reborn. I know that the monk and the demon hunter who fight alongside you, as well as Inuyasha, all have personal vendettas against Naraku and in defeating him will achieve their quest for revenge as well as retrieving the jewel."

"So, if you know so much about us, then surely you know all the good things Inuyasha has done. He's not the cold-blooded killer that you think he is."

"And I tell you, he would discard you immediately once the jewel is in his hands. You are being used by him."

Kagome couldn't believe that she was actually listening to this. Even worse that her heart was starting to doubt her own convictions. Koenma didn't know Inuyasha like she did. She believed in him. Surely if it came between her and the jewel, Inuyasha would choose…

"You're wrong," she said, clenching her fists. "You're so wrong. Maybe that's the way it was in the beginning, but it's not now. Inuyasha is…he's…he's not like that!"

Koenma sighed. "I was right, you truly have been corrupted," he mumbled. "Very well. I shall say nothing more of it." He stood to his feet and motioned for her to follow him. "Come with me."

Fear stabbed through her. "W-where are we going?"

He smiled genuinely. "I will not harm you for now, young priestess. I will merely show you to your room and provide you with clean clothing. You look exhausted. Perhaps you should rest?"

Kagome honestly didn't think she could sleep after all of this, but she stood up and followed him, anyway. He led her back through the maze of hallways until stopping at a room and motioning her inside.

"Sleep well," he said and left her, the lights blinking out as he departed. Kagome shuddered…that was so creepy. She swallowed her fear and closed the door behind her, looking around the small room he'd provided for her. A soft-looking futon lay on the floor and next to it were brightly colored clothes, neatly folded. She discarded her school uniform, actually glad to have it off, as it was filthy and was starting to smell slightly. The clean clothes were soft and welcoming and as she laid her head back on the soft mattress, she realized just how tired she was.

Before she let herself succumb to exhaustion, Kagome thought of Inuyasha and felt a stab of regret. She wouldn't doubt him. Not now. She had to believe that he would return. She had to believe that they all would return safely, and this awful mess would be over soon.


End file.
